The Only Hope For Me is You
by Finntastic17
Summary: As Rachel contemplates her break up with Finn, she realizes just what jerk he has been to her. So she moves on and dates many different guys, but is it possible that Finn is her only true love? Samchel, Puckleberry, Raine, St. Berry, and FINCHEL.
1. Chapter 1: St Berry

**So I was rewatching some of the episodes in Season 1 (the ones that had Jesse in them) and the last two episodes from Season 2, and I realized…Finn is kind of a jerk to Rachel. Really! Has anyone else noticed that, too? I became angered with his character, and decided to write this story to take out all my frustrations on the end of the Finchel couple and explore different sides to both Rachel and Finn's characters. Jesse does return (because Rachel starts dating him again), but he isn't a cocky jerk. In fact, he's actually very sweet and considerate and has NO ulterior motives this time! Yay! I hope you all enjoy! This chapter is entitled 'St. Berry 3'.**

The first thing Rachel noticed when she opened her locker that day was that her 'Finn' necklace was missing. So were their date calendar and her little picture with the words 'Finchel forever' on it. Never truly getting over Finn over the winter break, she had kept these items stashed in the back of her locker, every now and then pulling them out to motivate her to win his heart back. But that first day back from winter break, she saw was that they weren't there.

She spun around just in time to see Quinn, Santana, and Brittany walking down the hallway, each one arm in arm with one of the football players, Quinn with Sam, Santana with Puck, and Brittany with Artie. Quinn jingled the necklace in front of her face, a smug smile on her face.

"Looking for something?" She taunted. "Don't you know Finn's long over you? He shouldn't have been dating a dwarf like you from the start, and now he's finally come to his senses." Santana and Puck chuckled, and Sam gave Quinn a crooked smile just to be polite, as Rachel knew he was too polite to insult her like the Cheerios did.

"H-how did you get that?" Rachel stammered, leaning against the lockers.

"I'm very skilled with a nail filer." She replied. Santana smirked.

"And forever sure seemed to last a lot shorter then I thought." Santana insulted, holding up the 'Finchel forever'. Rachel leaned forward to grab it from her hands, but Santana predicted the movement and stood on her tiptoes, outstretching her arm high above her head.

"Try and catch it, Berry." Quinn sneered. The whole group burst into laughter as Rachel stepped back, knowing that she would look completely idiotic jumping to reach a picture of symbolizing a relationship that no longer existed. Artie and Sam exchanged a glance before flashing Rachel an apologetic look.

"And we know about your little Christmas tree outing." Santana added.

"You tried to kiss Finn." Brittany commented. Rachel shifted uncomfortably before she turned to look down the corridor.

"What a fail you are, Rachel." Quinn smirked. "He broke up with you right after that, didn't he?"

"How do you know?" Rachel queried, crossing her arms.

"I talked to him on Facebook." Puck spoke up. Santana and Brittany linked pinkies and snickered.

"I think we're done here." Quinn announced, linking arms with Sam and glaring at Rachel. "Just goes to show you what happens when losers try to mix with those who are popular."

They continued laughing as the walked down the hallway, the student body splitting right down the middle like the Red Sea as they passed. Rachel watched them go, sighing and closing her locker just as the bell for first period rang.

-glee!-

Fifth period was glee. Rachel didn't know how she would survive through rehearsal that day, what with the Cheerios's constant attempts to make her life miserable and the fact that Finn was in glee, which her made her absolutely crestfallen. She ate lunch with Tina, Mercedes, and Mike. The bell rang soon after and Rachel walked back to her locker before heading off to the choir room. She wanted so bad to skip class, but she knew that if the Cheerios hadn't harassed her earlier, she wouldn't be so terrified and would have gone to glee with a fake smile plastered on her face, acting just like Rachel Berry would act. So she would do just that.

Rachel entered the choir room right when the late bell rang, hearing snickers coming from the back of the room; she guessed they were coming from the Cheerios. She sat on the far side of the room, turning her attention to Mr. Schuester.

"I don't really have anything to discuss with you guys." He admitted. "And since you worked so hard at sectionals, I'll let you guys use this period for whatever you want. Just be prepared for tomorrow; remember, we're staying after school." Puck gave Mr. Schuester a thumbs up and grabbed Santana, sitting her on his lap.

"Keep it appropriate, though." Mr. Schuester added quickly. Rachel stood up and walked toward Mr. Schuester.

"Um, Mr. Schuester…can I talk to you?" She asked, shoving some of her hair behind her ears.

"Sure…" Mr. Schuester began warily, glancing at the rest of the class before pulling Rachel outside. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Well, yes. As you may or may not know, Finn and I have broken up." Rachel took a deep breath before continuing. "And although I love the position, I'm afraid I'm going to let my feelings get the best of me. I would like to resign from being our captain."

"Aw, Rachel, I understand you're upset…but you don't have to resign." Mr. Schuester patted her on the shoulder. "You'll only have to work with Finn on some things, and I you'd rather not, I can arrange it so you won't have to work with him so much." He offered.

"Mr. Schuester…"

"Rachel, the team needs you." He pleaded.

"No, they don't." She whispered, shaking her head. "They all hate me so much…"

"They're just jealous of you're talent." Mr. Schuester reassured her. "Rachel, you have such an amazing voice, and great leadership skills. Although you can be a bit harsh and you tend to be a bit self-absorbed, I know that glee could not function without you as captain."

"Really?" Rachel glanced up at him with wide eyes. Mr. Schuester gave her a sympathetic look before sighing.

"This break up has really gotten you down, hasn't it? You've lost who you are, Rachel." He patted her on the shoulder again. Rachel glanced at the floor, pushing her bangs out of her eyes and shoving some of her hair behind her ears.

"I never told him I loved him." She whispered. "He'd always tell me just how much he loved me, but I never said 'I love you' back."

"I'm sorry, Rachel." Mr. Schuester glanced at Rachel, sympathy in clear on his face. "I know how you feel. But you have to stick through this. You get over all break-ups eventually. The Rachel Berry I knew would have agreed with me." Rachel smiled and nodded her head.

"You're right, Mr. Schue. Thank you." They walked back into the choir room, Rachel holding her chin high and striding off to her chair, sitting and crossing her legs, pulling out a book and began reading.

-glee!-

Rachel wasn't upset the next day at school. She was just as proud and narcissistic as she was every other day. She ignored the Cheerios that day and didn't pay attention to how bare her locker looked without her Finn paraphernalia.

To add to her happiness, it had been announced that Kurt was returning to McKinley that day. He would partake in glee rehearsal, and Rachel couldn't help but be excited. They had grown so close over the past few weeks, and with Kurt in the choir room again, Rachel would finally have a friend in glee.

By the time glee rolled around, Rachel was feeling much more confident and very ready to take control of rehearsal that day. While they listened to Mr. Schuester talk about different styles of music and how they were required to each choose a genre from a hat and sing a song from that genre, she would cast glances in Finn's direction. Every now and then, she would wave and smile at Kurt. Then, unexpectedly, while Mr. Schuester was explaining the genre of 'hip hop/rap', Finn sighed and stood up.

"Rachel, I'd really appreciate it if you stopped looking at me." He announced. The Cheerios burst into laughter and Rachel's cheeks turned red as Finn sat back down.

"You aren't going to take that from him, are you?" Tina whispered in her ear. Rachel glared in Finn's direction.

"I hate to bring down this perfect world where you think everything revolves around you, Finn, but I wasn't looking at you." Rachel argued, standing up and placing her hands on her hips.

"Guys…" Mr. Schuester warned.

"I saw you." Finn pointed out.

"I was looking at Kurt." Rachel corrected him. "I am so over you, Finn, you don't need to keep acting like you have every girl running at your heel."

"You know you are not over me." Finn argued, taking a step towards her. In reply, Rachel took a step back, stomping her foot in a frustrated manner.

"I am _**so **_over you! You are a jerk, Finn Hudson." She whispered. "You broke my heart, not once, but twice. And as I've thought things over, I realize just how cruel you've been to me." She raised her voice. "I don't understand why I keep running back to you, but I can promise you this, it won't ever happen again." There was silence in the room as Rachel took a deep breath. "You are the worst mistake I've ever made in my life." Unable to stay in the room any longer, she spun around and stormed out of the choir room, leaving Finn utterly speechless.

She continued down the empty hallway. It was true; Finn had called her a slut, a sad clown hooker, had broken up with her twice, went on a date with Santana and Brittany while they were dating, slept with Santana and lied to her about it, and claimed to dislike the way Rachel dressed.

On the way to her locker, she ran into Figgins, who immediately pulled her to a stop. "I was just coming to get you, Rachel. There's someone in the office to see you." Rachel, confused, tipped her head to the side but followed Figgins to the office and nearly stopped in her tracks. She recognized the person at the front desk, leaning against the wall with a nonchalant expression on his face.

"Jesse?" She managed to say. He took a few steps in her directions, flashing her a brilliant smile.

"Hi, Rachel." He replied in a soft voice. Rachel blinked once, absolutely frozen in place. "I came to see you. I was thinking we could talk somewhere private?" He glanced at the lady at the front desk, who nodded her head. Jesse smiled and led Rachel, still speechless, out of the office.

"Wh-why are you here?" Rachel finally managed to stutter.

"I've thought a lot about you over the summer, Rachel. I would have come to see you then, but I figured we still needed some time."

'Time? You broke up with me, Jesse." She shifted her weight. "In a very cruel way, I might add."

"I am so sorry, Rachel, I really am. I loved you so much…it was the peer pressure." He sighed. "I never meant to hurt you, Rachel. I had to…for the team. Vocal Adrenaline needed me." Rachel glanced up at him with round eyes.

"So did I." She whispered.

"And I need you now, Rachel." Jesse continued. "College isn't exciting, and I haven't dated anyone since you. I've _**missed **_you. I'm on my winter break now. I have seven weeks—"

"Seven weeks?" Rachel interrupted disbelievingly.

"Well, truthfully, I get five weeks, but I'm taking off an extra two weeks…for you." Jesse shrugged his shoulders as Rachel blushed. "I'm planning on using four of these weeks to win your heart back, but I'll use all seven of my weeks, just for you, Rachel, if I have to." Jesse glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Rachel smiled, glancing at the choir room behind her.

"You don't have to." She told him softly. "I'm already yours." He grinned at her and outstretched his arms, Rachel willingly falling into his embrace.

"I'm going to take you to California with me one day." He promised, rubbing the back of her neck. "We'll make you famous." Rachel giggled, pulling away with a broad smile on her face.

"I'd like that." Rachel whispered.

"You seemed upset a moment ago." Jesse commented, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and bringing her close to his body. "Was something wrong? Do I need to punch anyone?"

"Ha, no." Rachel smiled. "Violence is never the answer. But it was nothing; just Finn. He needs to get over himself and realize that not every girl in this school is running at his heel begging him for attention."

"Ah, Finn. I heard he broke up with you."

"How…?"

"Facebook." Jesse answered quickly. "You cheated on him?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it cheating…it was getting even with him." Rachel shifted uncomfortably. "While we were together, he slept with Santana, and lied to me about it. So I sort of…kissed Noah."

"Puck?"

"Yeah." Rachel smiled weakly. "I was just so…mad at him, and I wanted him to feel as bad as I did. But he broke up with me…after promising me he never would."

"What an ass." Jesse commented, shaking his head disapprovingly. "I'll never break up with you, Rachel. Ever. I've learned my lesson."

"Which was…?"

"I can't live my life without you." Jesse answered, facing her. Rachel blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his. She had missed him, though she would never admit it to anyone. Maybe, all along, she was never meant to be Finn's…maybe she was Jesse's through and through.

She went on Facebook later that day and updated her status.

Finchel X

_St. Berry 3_

**Jesse St. James has liked your status.**

**Wow, that was eventful! I think Rachel had some pretty good comebacks. And Jesse was so sweet! Writing this chapter made me like him much more. I hope it did the same to you, too! I know this chapter moves kind of fast, but trust me, it only moves fast in this chapter. I didn't want to drag things out and make Jesse have to win her over. I thought it would be nice for her to instantly jump back into his arms. Does she maybe have ulterior motives (i.e. wants to make Finn jealous)? Or does she just want to fill a void Finn left when he broke up with her? Possible reasons later explained! I hope you liked it! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Finchel  ?

**Sadly, Finn is kind of a jerk in this chapter, too. Sorry. Just thought it would be nice to explore another side of Finn's character. I have a feeling that in the show, he won't really be too friendly towards Rachel after their break up. And Rachel is also sort of a bitch in this chapter as well (pardon my language). In my opinion, I think Finn sort of deserves it. Anyway, here is Chapter 2! It is entitled 'Finchel = ?'.**

St. Berry? What the hell was 'St. Berry'? And why did it sound so familiar? Those were the thoughts that ran through Finn's mind as he read Rachel's new Facebook status over and over again. He knew 'Finchel' was him and Rachel, and the little 'x' after it obviously meant they were over. And Jesse had liked her status…since when had Rachel become friends with Jesse? He thought she hated him.

He pulled up IM, noticing that Kurt, Rachel, Quinn, Santana, and Sam were online. Oh, good; he could finally confront Rachel about 'St. Berry'.

**(sharkfinn5 has signed on)**

**(sharkfinn5 has joined the chat)**

**so, Rachel, what the hell is st. berry?**

**(samiam435 has replied)**

**aren't u quite the charmer, finn.**

**(quinniebee2 has replied)**

**oh yes. The perfect way to gain answers from ur ex is to curse at her, especially after she totally owned u in the choir room today. I have to say, I respect her quite a bit more now.**

**(hopez236 has replied)**

**I don't. though she did totally own u today finn.**

**(sharkfinn5 has replied)**

**idc. Her Facebook status is 'finchel X st. berry 3' and I'm wonderin what the hell that is.**

**(ladyface6 has replied)**

**coach Sylvester suggested the new user name. I actually sort of like it…**

**(hopez236 has replied)**

**moron.**

**(ladyface6 has replied)**

**whore. Anywhoo, what's this about st. berry?**

**(hopez6 has replied)**

**oh no u didn't…expect a nice cold slushy in the face 2morro.**

**(defygravity4ever has replied)**

**a saint I worship :) **

**(sharkfinn5 has replied)**

**really, rach? really?**

**(defygravity4ever has replied)**

**u don't get to call me that anymore finn. As I recall, u broke up with me, therefore no longer giving u the right to call me by a pet name.**

**(sharkfinn5 has replied)**

**I understand ur upset, but u don't have to go bitching about me.**

**(quinniebee2 has replied)**

**bad move finn…**

**(defygravity4ever has replied)**

**bitching? Oh that's an understatement my friend, if u don't wake up from this world where u think everything and everyone revolves around u. I could teach a real lesson with the help of st. berry…**

**(hopez236 has replied)**

**yes, bitch fight! Got the popcorn. I bet five man-hands will win.**

**(samiam435 has replied)**

**I'm staying out of this…**

**(sharkfinn5 has replied)**

**u never got this mad at me before!**

**(defygravity4ever has replied)**

**because I finally realized just what an ass u r.**

**(ladyface6 has replied)**

**this is getting good…**

**(sharkfinn5 has replied)**

**0.0**

**(defygravity4ever has replied)**

**yeah, I said it, and I'll say it again. Ur an ass, finn. U've broken my heart so many times I cant even begin to tell u. and u led me on when u kissed me in the auditorium while u were dating quinn…**

**(quinniebee2 has replied)**

**what? *virtually slaps finn* and u dare accuse her of cheating!**

**(sharkfinn5 has replied)**

**0.0**

**(hopez236 has replied)**

**wow finn. Didn't realize what man-whore u r. it's actually sorta sexy. Def turns me on :).**

**(defygravity4ever has replied)**

**I'm done here *smirks*. And that's only the beginning of my revenge, finn.**

**(defygravity4ever has signed off)**

-glee!-

"So, what are our plans for today?" Rachel asked, squeezing Jesse's hand tightly as they continued down the empty hallways of McKinley High to the library.

"Whatever you want them to be." Jesse replied.

"What happened to that cocky jerk I dated last year?" Rachel joked, lightly touching her forehead to his shoulder.

"He went to college and realized that life was almost unlivable without you." Jesse smiled. Rachel's face lit up and she grinned.

"Aw…" She cooed. "That was probably one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me."

"Finn never complimented you, or said anything romantic to you, for that matter?" Jesse asked, confused.

"Not really…" Rachel admitted. "I'd rather not talk about Finn. We fought online yesterday."

"About?"

"Finn being stupid, didn't know what a 'St. Berry' was." Rachel grinned as Jesse chuckled. "So he asked me, and I told him it was a saint I worshiped. But, Jesse, I couldn't tell them I was dating you again. They think I should never have dated you in the first place."

"It's totally fine, Rachel." He smiled. "Yet we've only been 'back together' for not even a full day, and you think we're dating." Jesse mused. Rachel pulled her hand from Jesse's and glanced at the floor.

"Aren't we…?"

"It's not that, Rachel." Jesse said quickly, grabbing her hand again. "I think it's funny that I had thought I needed four weeks to win you back when all I really needed was barely a day."

"Oh." Rachel smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek. "My heart was only so easy to win because it was yours in the first place." Jesse grinned.  
"And Finn…?"

Rachel groaned and stepped away. "Can you _**please **_stop bringing up Finn? I don't have feelings for him anymore, I only have feelings for you."

"You loved Finn, Rachel." Jesse told her. "So it's only logical for me to think you might still have feelings for him. I saw the way you to used to look at each other, when we were dating before."

"I thought I loved Finn." Rachel corrected him. "And the key words are '_**used **_to look at'. My heart belongs to you, Jesse, and only you."

"I just think you might be rushing yourself because you're hurting, Rachel." Jesse said quietly. "You want to believe you love me, when really, you're just trying to fill the void Finn left." Rachel was silent for a few minutes before sighing.

"Jesse, I swear to you, you aren't someone used to fill a void another guy left. You are my one and only, the other half to my heart." Rachel finally responded. Jesse smiled, wrapping his arms around her waste and bringing her close to him.

"I'm glad." He let out a sigh of relief before pressing his lips to hers. "I'll never break you heart, Rachel." He whispered against her lips.

"Thank you." She managed to whisper back. He pressed her against the lockers, kissing her with such a fiery passion; Rachel had no choice but to kiss back just as hard.

"Aren't you supposed to be in glee?" He whispered.

"Not if I don't want to." Rachel murmured. "And I'd much rather be kissing you."

"Touché." And they continued kissing in the empty hallway.

"Rachel?" A voice called behind them a few moments later. Rachel reluctantly pulled away, her eyes widening.

"M-Mr. Schuester!" Rachel exclaimed, jumping away from Jesse. Mr. Schuester glanced back and forth, a frown set on his face.

"Jesse?"

"Hello, Mr. Schuester." Jesse greeted calmly, wrapping his arms around Rachel to calm her as well.

"I thought you two broke up." Mr. Schuester said simply after a few seconds of silence, obviously disapproving their reconciliation. "Or, I would hope so, since you were just in a relationship with Finn, Rachel."

"Mr. Schuester…"

"You're supposed to be in glee practice, Rachel. We have to prepare for regionals. We didn't exactly win sectionals this year, Rachel; it was a tie, if you don't remember. We'll be competing against the Warblers and Vocal Adrenaline again." Mr. Schuester continued, raising his voice.

"I-I know." Rachel glanced at her feet nervously. "Jesse and I were just saying goodbye."

"So you two are together again." Mr. Schuester shook his head. "I won't be one to break you two up, or voice my opinion, but you can't miss glee practice, Rachel."

"I'm sorry." Rachel apologized, glancing at her feet.

"It was my fault, Mr. Schuester." Jesse spoke up. He grinned at Rachel, kissing her softly on the forehead. "I'll text you later. We still have to decide where we're going tonight." Completely forgetting Mr. Schuester was there, Rachel grinned and nodded her head.

"I think I'm leaning toward a movie at my house." She paused. "Or we could just hang out."

"Anything you want is perfect by me." Jesse winked at her. "Now, go off to glee practice."

"Bye, Jesse." Rachel called after him.

"Rachel, I'm glad you found love again, but you can't skip glee practice. We haven't gotten anything accomplished because we need your vocals to carry us out." Mr. Schuester lectured her. She sniffed disapprovingly, crossing her arms.

"That wasn't what you thought at sectionals." Rachel argued. "I didn't get any solos."

"Regionals will be different; all of you are amazingly talented singers, but I need the most talented to sing at regionals." He raised an eyebrow at her. "And I don't mean to bother you with your relationship, but didn't Jesse egg you?"

"Yes." She closed her eyes. "But Finn stabbed me in the back and hurt me with what he would say to me."

"How do you know Jesse doesn't have ulterior motives again this time?"

"I just do." Rachel defended herself. "What could he possibly be using me for? He's not apart of Vocal Adrenaline anymore."

"I don't know." Mr. Schuester sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"Jesse can't hurt me anymore then Finn can." Rachel defended her boyfriend as the started down the hallway to the auditorium.

"Alright."

"Mr. Schuester, could you do me a favor?" Rachel asked after a few moments of silence.

"What?"

"Could you please not tell anyone about me and Jesse? They wouldn't like it very much if they found out. And Finn…I don't even want to think about what he would say."

"Sure, Rachel…" But Mr. Schuester and Rachel weren't the only ones walking the McKinley High School hallways. Not too far off, someone was watching them, a smile spreading across their face as they overheard Rachel's piece of information. If her secret ever got out, glee club would be destroyed for sure. And that was the way this person wanted it to be.

**Oh, so who knows about Jesse and Rachel? I'll tell you right now, Jesse DOES NOT have ulterior motives. Although this story will be a Finchel story, I actually sort of like St. Berry. I want to give them a chance as well. I hope you all understand! Anyways, you will find out who the other person is in the next chapter! There are many guesses as to who it can be, but only one person stands out. It is sort of obvious, but not quite. Whoever can tell me the name of the person who wants to destroy the glee club with Rachel's new secret will get an exclusive update (meaning an early release of the chapter before it is posted online) of any story of mine that they choose (i.e. It Only Takes 5 Weeks to Fall in Love, Bury Me in Black, Hanging on By a Thread, or this story!). Please review XD!**


	3. Chapter 3: Mission: Destroy Glee!

**Thank you for all those wonderful reviews! I am so happy I received that many. There isn't so much St. Berry in this chapter, sadly. The next chapter will have more of it and the arguing between Rachel and Finn will start to cease. And thank you to all of those who guessed who the anonymous glee club-destroyer was. It was Sue! I told you it was very obvious! Since I cannot decide who to send it to, all of you who guessed (I have your names written down, don't worry) have one the prize: an exclusive update of any of my stories sent directly to your email BEFORE they are posted here! Congratulations! Just PM me your emails and your story choice and I will have them written to you by the end of next week (I am a very busy person). Please enjoy this chapter! It is entitled 'Mission: Destroy Glee!'.**

The whole time Rachel was in glee practice, she wasn't entirely there. She thought about Jesse the whole time and their impending date. If it were a movie at her house, making out would definitely be one of the activities they would do to keep themselves entertained. However, if it were just hanging out…well, who knew how much more could happen?

"Rachel, glee practice is over." Kurt called. Rachel pulled herself out of her daydreams and leapt to her feet, a cheerful smile spreading across her face.

"Thanks, Kurt!" She darted straight past him and headed for the school entrance. Kurt sighed and shook his head. One moment, Rachel was depressed about Finn, and the next, she totally hated him. The girl needed to make up her mind.

Meanwhile, Coach Sylvester had been staying after school pretending to plan Cheerios events. She needed to look busy or William would catch on.

"Becky, destroying that sinking ship known as the glee club will be easier then I thought." Sue said with a smile.

"That's great, Coach." Becky gave her a thumbs up.

"Do me a favor and get Boobs McGee, Brittany, and Preggo." Sue ordered.

"Sure, Coach." Becky got off her seat and darted out of her office to go and fetch the other Cheerios. Moments later, she returned with Quinn, Santana, and Brittany.

"Coach, glee practice just ended, and we really want to go home." Quinn complained, but still taking a seat across from her desk.

"I have some valuable information that will sink that club of rotting mouth-breathers for sure." Sue began.

"You're still after Mr. Schuester and the glee club?" Santana scoffed, standing behind Quinn's chair. "Isn't that a bit old? Didn't you give up on that a _**long **_time ago?"

"Shut up, Satan, or you'll be demoted to the bottom of the pyramid again and go without tanning for a month." Sue ordered. Santana fell silent but wore a look of disgust on her face.

"The little midget who dresses like Pippi Longstocking…"

"Rachel." Brittany corrected.

"RuPaul." Quinn cut in, glaring at Brittany but leaning back in her seat, waiting for Sue to continue.

"She's got herself a new beau." Sue said. Quinn's eyes widened.

"_**Her**_?" Santana exclaimed. "How can stubbles have a new boyfriend?"

"Why, it's someone she dated already." Sue said with a smile. "Any guesses?"

"Mr. Schuester!" Brittany exclaimed. They all stared at her before turning away.

"Jesse?" Quinn guessed.

"Of course!" Sue exclaimed.

"That bitch!" Santana exclaimed. "Doesn't she remember what he did to her last time? Not that I care, but he nearly destroyed our chances at even competing. What the hell is she thinking?"

"How could Rachel be so _**stupid**_?" Quinn agreed, flipping her blond ponytail over her shoulder. "You know what, that stupid Facebook status she posted the other day suddenly makes sense. St. Berry is their last names combined."

"That bitch!" Santana repeated.

"You have to tell the other members, and they will have no choice but to kick her out to prevent a repeat of last time. She'll be heart broken and leave the school. And just when they figure out they need her voice the most, they'll be too late. They won't place at regionals, and glee club will be over." Sue leaned back in her chair. "But why stop at the glee club? Why not tell the whole school?"

"Not many of them know exactly who Jesse is…" Quinn began.

"Then let them know." Sue leaned back over her desk. "Don't stop until every snot-faucet at this school knows that Rachel Berry is dating Jesse St. James." Quinn, Santana, and Brittany all nodded their heads.

"What's your source, though?" Quinn asked, still a bit uncertain. "How do we know you're not just making this up?"

"I heard her say so myself." Sue said proudly. "Now, go off and tell the world."

"It's already on Facebook." Santana said smugly, showing them her cell phone.

"For that, you have been promoted to the top of the pyramid." Sue nodded her head in approval. "Now go. I have better things to take care of then listen to you brainstorm." Quinn, Brittany, and Santana all darted out of her office and made their way down the hallway. Destroying glee would be so easy.

-glee!-

Quinn told Sam that night while they were making out in her bedroom. Although he didn't fully understand, he knew that from the tone of Quinn's voice, it wasn't something good. Santana told Puck through heated sexts, and Brittany told Artie while they rehearsed duets together. Artie told Tina, and Tina told Mike. Mike told Mercedes, and Mercedes told Kurt. Kurt didn't tell anyone; he was much too shocked.

The next day at school, they all noticed Rachel was late to first period. No one cared, but they all knew why. Well, everyone except for Finn. But all of them were too shocked and pissed to even care. Rachel had betrayed them.

Rachel spent half of first period making out with Jesse in his black Range Rover. Things were erotic and romantic…it almost made her forget that class was in session. Finally, Rachel managed to pull away.

"Jesse, I have to go to school." She whispered. He let out a sigh and reluctantly sat back in his seat.

"Your first period class is half over. Why not skip the whole thing in general?"

"Because if I do, when I go to second period, the teacher will know I skipped." Rachel argued.

"That never stopped them." Jesse said, nodding his head to a bunch of football jocks skipping class in the parking lot. Rachel sighed.

"I have to go to class, Jesse." She insisted. Jesse grinned and placed another soft kiss on her lips.

"You were always so dramatic." He whispered. "I love that about you." Rachel grinned and blushed before grabbing her bag and jumping out of his car.

"Bye, Jesse. I'll see you later." She called over her shoulder. As soon as she stepped out of the car, the bell signaling the end of first period rang. With eyes wide, Rachel darted up the steps and into the school just as classes were being dismissed. "Shit!" She exclaimed. She raced to her locker, putting her books and extra change of clothes inside and grabbing the supplies she needed for second period. She checked her hair and make up in her mirror before closing the door to her locker. Before she could head to class, she noticed Santana, Quinn, and Brittany walking down the hallway right in front of her locker with their heads held high and ponytails bouncing. They all cast a glare in Rachel's direction.

"Bitch." Santana hissed as they continued down the hallway. Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes, gripping her books tightly as she headed off to second period. She hadn't caught onto it at all. For once, Santana's insult actually had a meaning to it.

-glee!-

Rachel was one of the last ones in the choir room. As soon as she stepped inside, everything became quiet. They all glared at Rachel with hateful looks, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. The last time they had all glared at her with such strong, angry emotions was when they had all found out Sunshine had transferred to Vocal Adrenaline because of Rachel.

Her face turned bright red as she silently took her seat. They all continued to glare at her. No longer feeling embarrassed, but instead, frustrated, she let out an exasperated sigh. "What?" She asked, irritated.

"We heard something goin' through the halls this morning." Mercedes said, glaring at Rachel with her arms crossed. Rachel frowned and crossed her arms, too.

"I have never dated anything with four legs." Rachel hissed crossly. A few of the guys chuckled silently, but Rachel instantly got them to be quiet with a harsh glare in their direction.

"I ain't talking about that." Mercedes clarified, her glare intensifying.

"Then what are you talking about?" Rachel asked, aggravated and growing tired of playing the guessing game with her.

"We heard a little rumor that you and Jesse are dating again." Kurt announced, taking a stance by Mercedes. "Is it true?" Just as he finished, Finn walked through the door. He frowned at the quiet but didn't say anything to break it. He cast a confused glance in Rachel's direction after following everyone else's gaze, and then sat down. He continued to stare at Rachel, his gaze hardening as he focused.

Rachel gulped, pretending not to feel the few pairs of eyes staring her down. Her face turned a bright red as she stared at the floor. What could she say in a situation like this? She frowned as she continued to stare at the floor, deciding to pretend she hadn't heard Kurt.

"Hold on." Finn said, still frowning in confusion. "What are we talking about?"

"There's a rumor going around that Rachel is dating Jesse again." Kurt explained before returning his attention to Rachel. Finn's eyebrows furrowed together; wait, Jesse and Rachel? Hadn't they broken up? Didn't she _**hate**_ him?

"It isn't a rumor, it's a fact." Quinn said snidely, glaring at Rachel out of the corner of her eye. "We three have an anonymous informer who saw them making out a few days ago in the hallway." Rachel's head snapped up; had Mr. Schuester told them? She thought she could trust him!

"Who told you?" Mike asked, frowning.

"Once again, our informer is anonymous." Santana said, smirking.

"It was the voice in my head." Brittany whispered, but no one paid attention to her. Well, no one except Artie, who soothingly rubbed her back. In return, she took a seat in his lap and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"What the hell, Rachel?" Puck exclaimed. "Are you so fucked up you can't remember what he did to you last time? He turned you into an _**omelet**_." Rachel flinched, shuddering at the memory.

"He used you." Tina agreed, nodding again.

"He played your heart." Kurt said, scowling. Rachel closed her eyes, still not saying anything.

"He's just using you again." Quinn said smugly. "God know that would be the only reason _**you**_ would ever get a boyfriend." Rachel glared at them.

"Jesse loves me." She said softly. Everyone grew quiet and stared at her in alarm. She had practically just confirmed that she and Jesse were once again together. "And he isn't using me this time. What could he gain from dating me? The only reason he seduced me last time was for my mother, and so he could get some inside information for Vocal Adrenaline. But now, my mother isn't the coach and Jesse is no longer attends Carmel High. There would be no advantage to dating me at all."

"How do you know he isn't closely involved with the new coach of Vocal Adrenaline?" Kurt asked scornfully, raising an eyebrow. Rachel sighed, standing up.

"I don't know." Rachel admitted. "All I know is he graduated from high school last year, he's on his winter break, and he wants to be with me."

"We can't risk everything like that again, Rachel." Mercedes said softly. Rachel's hear began to race in her chest; what did Mercedes mean? "We lost regionals last time because of Jesse's impact on your life. We can't do that again. If you won't break up with him, then you're out." Rachel's eyes widened and she stamped her foot angrily.

"That isn't fair!" She exclaimed. "You did this to me last time!"

"We can't risk our chances of losing, Rachel…" Kurt began, hoping to reason with her.

"So you expect me to sacrifice my one chance of happiness?" Rachel hissed. "Why is it always me? Kurt is practically dating Blaine, who, by the way, actually _**is **_our competition, and he doesn't have to do anything!"

"It's because we hate you." Santana said, smirking. Rachel glared at them.

"Kurt and Blaine aren't dating, and Kurt is smart enough to not give the enemy team information." Mercedes said. "Don't go hating on my man."

"What the hell, Rachel?" Finn finally said, standing up. Rachel cringed; why did he have to be so much taller then her? "Were you really so desperate you had to start dating him again?" Rachel's glared intensified as Finn finished speaking. Who the hell did he think he was, criticizing her like that?

"You wouldn't have approved of any guy I dated." Rachel sneered, crossing her arms. "And I honestly don't care, Finn. I don't need your approval on everything to carry on in life."

"I can't forgive you for this." Finn said, turning around. Rachel lifted her chin.

"Really? Funny how I forgave you for every wrong doing and I make not even nearly as half as many as you did and you can't seem to move on. Really immature, Finn." Rachel hissed.

"I'm not talking about us." Finn growled, clenching his hands into fists. "Get over it and move on."

"I think I already have!" Rachel exclaimed. "I have a new boyfriend, and I don't need you!" She paused, letting her gaze sweep across the room. "I don't need any of you!" She spun around on her heel and started towards the door.

"You can't just leave us like that!" Sam cried. Rachel stopped and slowly turned around to face them, arms still crossed.

"Really? Because if I recall correctly, my choices were to either quit or break up with Jesse." She paused. "And I'm too happy right now to let everything slip away for my ungrateful team. I quit." With that, Rachel opened the door to the choir room and stormed out. As she continued down the hallway, she ran into Mr. Schuester.

"Rachel!" Mr. Schuester exclaimed, surprised. "Is everything alright?" She glared at him in response.

"I thought I could trust you." She hissed, venom dripping from her voice as she continued to storm down the hallway until she reached the doors to the school entryway. Mr. Schuester frowned as he watched her leave the campus, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. He walked into the choir room to find everyone sitting in their seats with shocked looks on their faces. Some of them were murmuring amongst each other while the others were silent, stunned. He placed his messenger bag on the piano and eyed his students suspiciously.

"Guys? What just happened?" He asked cautiously. Everyone grew quiet and turned to face Mr. Schuester. Slowly, Kurt stood up and smoothed out his pants before placing one hand on his hip and staring directly at Mr. Schuester.

"Rachel just quit glee."

**Wow. If you ask me, I believe they were a bit harsh. They should have let Rachel be happy and let her do whatever she wanted. And Finn, well…he's Finn. Do you think Rachel will return to glee? Will she ever forgive Mr. Schuester and find out who truly let her secret lose? What about her and Finn? Will they ever make things right? And does Jesse have any ulterior motives? I'll tell you right now, the answer to the last question is no. Jesse is here purely because he loves Rachel. I hated his character in Season 1 and am really glad I wrote his character as nice as I did. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am in desperate need of a beta for all my stories! Please review! The sequel to 'It only takes 5 Weeks to Fall in Love' will be posted tomorrow! Review!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Truce

**A shorter chapter, but I think it's pretty good ;P. I hope you guys agree. So as Rachel and Jesse get closer, Finn finds himself growing jealous. In the midst of his jealous rage, he as an epiphany. I hope you enjoy! Until further notice, Rachel and Finn will no longer be bickering like children. Although, I do like some of the comebacks Rachel has… XD. This chapter is entitled 'The Truce'.**

Rachel called Jesse to come pick her up. She would never admit this to anyone, but she didn't want to quit glee club. It was the only place where she truly felt as though she belonged. But they had pushed her too far, and asking her to sacrifice her happiness was unfair and uncalled for. And the nerve Finn had to say those things to Rachel's face…it astounded her! It almost seemed as though because he couldn't have her, then no one could.

Jesse arrived moments later with a questioning look on his face. Still angered and upset about the situation that had occurred not even twenty minutes ago, Rachel got into the car and glared at the road ahead of her.

"Don't ask." She hissed. "Just drive." Knowing it was probably the best option at this moment, Jesse obliged and drove out of the school campus. For half the drive back to Rachel's house, he could tell she was bothered. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest and her eyes were glaring at the road ahead of them. When they finally pulled into her driveway, Jesse turned off his car engine and cast a curious glance in her direction. She looked less annoyed now, but the look that replaced it made Jesse even more curious. It was a look of hurt, betrayal, and sadness.

"What happened?" He asked in a sigh, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"I quit glee club." Rachel said in soft voice. Her bottom lip quivered, and Jesse knew she was on the verge of tears. He lifted his arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

"Why?" He asked quietly.

"They found out about you and me." She glanced at the floor. "I think Mr. Schuester told them."

"I'm sorry." Jesse murmured.

"They made me feel terrible." Rachel continued. "They said that my choices were to quit or break up with you. And I can't be without you, Jesse; you make me so happy."

"So you quit?" He asked disbelievingly. He guessed that he was important to Rachel, being as he was her boyfriend, but he never would have thought that he was more important to her then glee club.

"Yes." She said quietly. "I didn't want to at first; I was going to try to reason with them. But then Finn pissed me off…" Her voice trailed off and she rested her head on Jesse's shoulder.

"What did he do?" Jesse asked, running his fingers through her hair as an attempt to soothe her troubled nerves.

"He was just being an ass, as usual." Rachel said crossly. A tear rolled down her cheek and she sighed. "I didn't want to quit, Jesse. But I don't want tot go back and grovel at their feet. That just isn't who I am."

"I understand." Jesse said honestly, nodding his head. "The logical thing for you to do then is to wait for them to come to you."

"But what if they don't?" She asked fearfully, turning to face him with wide eyes. She continued to sob, burrowing her face into his shoulder. "I don't even know why I'm crying! They all hate me, and I can't stand them either. I should be happy."

"You like to perform, and glee was the only place you could." Jesse said soothingly. It broke his heart, watching Rachel cry. "You had so many emotions bottled up inside you, and singing was the only way you could release those emotions." Rachel sniffled and smiled weakly.

"It's like you're in my head." She whispered. "Thank you, Jesse." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Jesse did the same, closing his eyes and breathing in her sweet scent.

"I love you." He whispered impulsively. Rachel stiffened and slowly pulled away.

"Wh-what?" She stammered. Jesse's face turned bright red and he glanced in the opposite direction.

"Uh…nothing." He said. Rachel blushed and rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling close to his body.

"I think I love you, too." She whispered. Jesse turned to face her, shocked, but said nothing. He just grinned and ran his fingers through her hair.

-glee!-

Finn tossed his backpack onto his desk chair and flopped onto his bed, his head pounding. His mind was replaying the same scene over and over again, and it was starting to annoy the shit out of him. Like a movie, moments between him and Rachel replayed in his mind. The time he told her he loved her. The time they watched _Grease_ together and she fell asleep in his arms. The time they sang their inappropriate duet. The day Rachel dressed up in that hot Britney Spears outfit. But the same one always came back to haunt him, more then the others did.

_"You said you'd never break up with me!" Rachel yelled behind him, tears streaming down her face. The hallways became hushed as all attention focused on them. Slowly, Finn turned to face her. God, he hated seeing her cry._

"I never thought you'd make feel this bad." He shot back at her bitterly before continuing down the hallway. Even though he was getting farther away from her, he could still hear her soft sobs.

He shook his head, frowning. Why was he thinking of Rachel now? Wasn't he pissed at her? He searched within his heart, scowling as he realized there was nothing. No hatred, no anger, no nothing towards Rachel. That is, not strong emotions. The only feeling he felt was the feeling of longing.

All it took him was that moment to realize he had forgiven her for kissing Puck. He didn't know how, or why, he just did. He wanted her back.

But just like before, he was back to watching from the sidelines. When he finally realized he wanted Rachel, she was with another guy. And he was back to watching, wanting, and waiting.

-glee!-

"You sure you'll be fine today?" Jesse checked. "There aren't any faces you want me to punch?" Rachel blushed and shook her head.

"I'll be fine." She said softly. "I'm not a glee loser anymore; I'm just a loser. Even those people are higher on the popularity totem pole then the glee kids are." Jesse chuckled and kissed her on the forehead.

"Adorable, as always." He said with a grin. "I'll pick you up after school, okay?"

"Okay." She said, pecking him on the lips quickly. She entered the school building and grabbed what she needed from her locker, grinning at the door. What used to be pictures of her and Finn and now been replaced by pictures of her and Jesse. She smiled at them and closed her locker door, surprised to find Finn standing behind it. For once, he didn't have a hostile look in his eyes.

"Hey." He said. Rachel glared at him and shoved her way past him.

"Have you come here to beg me to come back to glee and then toss me aside like an unwanted piece of garbage?" She hissed, speeding up her pace, hoping to lose him in the hallways. Sadly, his long legs were able to keep up with her pace just fine.

"No." He said, grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her to a stop. "I actually came to apocalypse."

"Apologize." Rachel corrected, seeming a bit wary.

"Yeah." He flashed her a crooked smile. "I've been an ass to you. I'm really sorry I treated you that way. You don't deserve it, Rach." She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes.

"Please." She began. "Don't call me that. I'm not your girlfriend anymore; you don't have the right to call me by your pet name." She opened her eyes and scrutinized Finn with a wary frown. "And I'm not coming back to glee. You guys taunt me and hurt me and push me to do things I don't want to do." Specifically, break up with Jesse.

"That's cool." Finn said, nodding his head in understanding. "Truce?" He checked. Rachel stared at him for a brief moment before sighing and nodding her head.

"Truce." She agreed. He grinned at her and continued down the hallway, feeling obligated to walk her to her first class. "So how are you and Jesse doing?"

"Great." Rachel said, smiling. "He really helped me yesterday. I was so upset after what happened in glee, and he made me feel a lot better." She let out a dreamy sigh before turning to Finn. "And you and Santana?"

"We were never dating." Finn told her, frowning.

"I know." She grinned. "But you guys would like so cute together." Finn's heart stopped; Rachel wasn't joking. She was being dead serious. She really had moved on; she wasn't pining for him and trying to win him back by dating another guy. She was really dating Jesse because she wanted to be. And now she was suggesting he did the same!

"Well, I'm kind of not ready to move on…" Finn admitted. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were over it." Rachel said sarcastically, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Not really." Finn admitted. Her gaze softened and she sighed.

"I'm sorry, Finn." Rachel said quietly, gazing up at him with earnest eyes. "But I am not returning to you. Don't set your heart on me, because we're done. I've moved on, and I suggested you do the same." Before Finn could say anything in response, the bell rang, and Rachel walked away, her heart breaking in half. Maybe Jesse had been right; maybe somewhere deep in her heart, she still had feelings for him.

_"Break a leg."_

_"I love you."_

Finn watched her leave. He'd give anything to have that moment back.

**So Rachel and Finn are cool. Well, at least for now. But will he get her back? Obviously! I know quite a few of you don't support St. Berry, but I actually don't mind them that much anymore. I am currently very upset with Finn (have you heard the song he sings for Rachel in the Super Bowl episode? Oh, I wanted to punch him…), and although Jesse egged Rachel and played her heart, he's actually not that bad of a person. That's why there is so much St. Berry in this story. But don't worry; this is a Finchel story, and I am full-fledged Finchel shipper. But in all reality, Rachel wouldn't drop Jesse at the drop of a hat after realizing Finn has forgiven her. She's hurt; she needs time to recover. One last question: some of you have been asking about her V-card…if she should lose it (and please don't think of what YOU want, think of Rachel here XD), who should she lose it to? Finn, Jesse, random other guy? LOL. Please let me know. Like my Facebook page, read my other stories, and REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5: Searching

**As I have watched more and more episodes of 'Glee', I have found myself becoming less and less obsessed with St. Berry. Yes, I'm not totally against them being together, but I am definitely not all for them being together either. So, if you haven't noticed yet, the whole theme to the story has changed. Basically, Rachel will be moving on quickly and going from boy to boy until she realizes that the only person for her is Finn. I do not want to keep writing St. Berry if I don't entirely approve of them being together. So, St. Berry's final days are coming. Not this chapter, not the next chapter, but maybe the chapter after that…I don't know! You'll have to wait and see XD! And in this chapter, Rachel's new potential love interest is introduced. Sadly, though, Finn does not make an appearance in this chapter. Expect more of him later on. Enjoy! This chapter is entitled 'Searching'.**

All throughout first period, Rachel was thinking about her best moments with Finn. The time he told her he loved her. The time she let him get to second base. The time they came up with the idea to sing an inappropriate duet to throw the competition so Sam could win. So many good memories…but of course, bad memories came hand in hand with the good ones.

There was the time he told her he wanted to break up to find his 'inner rock star'. The time she found out about his night with Santana. The time he broke up with her. The time he told her he didn't see fireworks when he kissed her. She closed her eyes, breathing out an unsteady sigh. She was back to where she started: unsure of her feelings for Finn.

_What about Jesse?_ A voice in her head nagged. She opened her eyes, frowning. What about Jesse? She struggled to remember their time together.

There was the time they first met. The time they sang 'Hello' together. The time he transferred to McKinley for her. The time he helped her find her mom. But then, just like Finn, there were bad times, too. The time he transferred back to Vocal Adrenaline. The time he egged her in the parking lot.

Her mind wanted her to stay with Jesse. It told her that it was the logical thing to do. But her heart…her heart was undecided.

This war going on inside her mind…it was enough. It made her sick and she felt that she would pass out at any minute. She raised her hand, biting her lip to keep the tears from cascading down her cheeks. The teacher turned to face her, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes, Rachel?" He asked, clearly annoyed that she had disrupted his lesson. All eyes turned on her.

"Can I go to the clinic?" She managed to croak out. "I don't feel good." He sighed, quickly wrote her a pass, and gave her his permission to be excused from class. She shuffled out of the room in a hurry, the sick feeling growing.

Memories swarmed in her head. It was an ongoing battle that was slowly driving Rachel insane. God, why did Finn have to apologize to her? Things were so much easier when they were arguing. She was finally getting ready to move on, and he just had to waltz right back into her life.

She began to feel dizzy; the hallway around her was spinning. She leaned against one of the lockers fro support, willing for the memories to cease. But her mind had other plans. Over and over, moments with Finn and Jesse replayed in her mind. Her heart was aching and she was too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice that she was crying.

Everything piled on top of everything else and the memories would not stop replaying in her mind. The dizzy feeling grew until everything around her was a blur. And slowly, the memories began to fade away until everything around her was consumed by the darkness.

-glee!-

She woke up in the nurse's office. She sat up, blinking open her puffy red eyes as she struggled to bring her vision into focus. Then she saw the nurse staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You were passed out in the hallway." She explained before Rachel could ask her how she had gotten there. "I don't know what would have happened to you had one of the only decent young men at this school had found you and brought you here."

"Um…" Rachel began in a soft voice.

"I'm required to do this, so don't freak out." The nurse wheeled herself over to Rachel and shined a light in her eyes. She checked Rachel's heartbeat and blood pressure before wheeling away. "From the looks of it, you're stressed. Has life been getting you down? Any problems at home or here at school?"

_You have no idea._ "Not really." Rachel mumbled, glancing at her hands as they rested on her lap. She was suddenly reminded of how she passed out. The confusion between her feelings for Finn and Jesse.

"You should stay here for a little bit and rest, and if you're still not feeling well, I'll call your parents and have them come pick you up." The nurse turned away from Rachel and continued with her work. With a sigh, Rachel lie back down in the uncomfortable bed and stared at the white wall.

She closed her eyes and forced the memories to the back of her mind. She didn't want there to be a replay of that morning. She sat up again, glancing at the clock that hung above the door. It was eleven forty-five; so she had been out cold for a little over an hour.

"Who was the guy that brought me in?" Rachel asked, desperate to break the long and awkward silence. It would distract her mind from bringing the memories back and confusing her feelings. She expected the nurse to say Finn. So it really surprised her when she instead said the name of the one person she least expected to carry her to the nurse's office.

"Sam Evans."

-glee!-

When the nurse finally released Rachel, second period was ending. She hustled to her locker, grabbed her books, and when she closed her locker door, she came face to face with her savior himself, Sam Evans.

"Hi, Rachel." He greeted in a cheery voice. It dawned on her that they had never spoken before. Those two words were the first words exchanged between them.

"Hi." Rachel replied in a low voice.

"How are you feeling?" His voice was thick with amusement.

"I'm glad you find my ill condition funny." She muttered, walking past him. He gently grabbed her by the arm and sighed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it that way." For the first time, her eyes met his. She had never noticed this before, but he had really pretty green eyes. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You really freaked me out, you know."

"How?" She asked scornfully. "You don't even know me."

"No, I don't." He flashed her a crooked grin. "But I know that most people don't just decide to pass out in the hallway in the middle of class just for the hell of it."

"I might." Rachel mumbled, a small smile creeping onto her lips. Sam chuckled and let go of her arm.

"As long as you're feeling better…"

"To be honest, I don't think I'll be feeling better for a long time." Rachel confessed. "I won't be passing out as often." She added quickly after seeing a frown cross Sam's face. "But I won't be okay for a very long time."

"Why?" He dared to ask.

"It's complicated." She mumbled.

"Ah. Does it have anything to do with this Jesse kid?" He asked.

"Somewhat." Rachel admitted.

"And Finn?" Sam guessed again.

"You have the gist of it." Rachel said sarcastically as they continued down the hallway. And the words just spilled out. "It's just…I don't know. Honestly, I was fine when Finn and I were arguing. It gave me a dose of reality and the strength to move on. But today…he had the nerve to apologize to me. And declare a truce. I don't think I was thinking clearly, but I accepted his truce. And then I was thinking about it and I realized that I might not be over Finn, and everything just piled on top of everything else…" She broke off, staring at the floor.

"That sucks." Sam shot her a sympathetic look. "If you need anyone to talk to, you can talk to me. You know that, right?"

"I do now." Rachel flashed him a weak smile.

"You and I, we aren't so different." He flashed her a small smile. "We're stuck in the same place. Hurt over what Finn and Quinn did to us. Trying to move on. Who are we kidding? You're fooling yourself into loving Jesse to get over the hole in your heart that Finn left behind, and I'm stuck dating the world's next Snooki." Rachel laughed and smiled weakly at Sam.

"If you didn't want to date Santana," Rachel began slowly. "Then why don't you break up with her?"

"I'm afraid she'll do something to destroy my reputation." Sam admitted.

"She can't do anything to you, Sam." Rachel said softly. The bell rang, and she started towards her next class. "You can do anything you want."

"Thanks, Rachel." Sam grinned.

"And for your information, I do love Jesse." She glanced at her feet, stopping in the middle of the hallway. "I'm just so confused right now, I'm not sure what to do next."

"Forget Finn." Sam advised. "Focus on Jesse and your feelings for him. And decide what you want to do once you come to a conclusion about your feelings for him."

"Thank you, Sam." She whispered. A small smile lit up her face. "Talking to you right now has made me regret not talking to you before."

"Me, too." Sam laughed. "We'll talk more, though."

"Definitely." Rachel agreed. They said their goodbyes and headed in opposite directions. And for the first time that day, her mind was finally put at ease.

**Yes, I understand, a short update. But it's definitely better then nothing, right? Okay, so if you haven't heard already, I am a huge shipper of a Rachel/Sam relationship (word has it that their combined name is Samchel) and have been dying to experiment writing them together. For now, it's just a friendship. Later on, their friendship blossoms into romance. I'm not entirely sure if their break up will be a hard one or an easy one (is there such thing?), but I do know that they unfortunately have to go their separate ways as Finchel is always the endgame. Plus, there are two other relationships Rachel pulls herself into before returning to Finn's arms. Hint: they both have been involved in Rachel's life somehow! One of them just became involved in one of the past few episodes, while the other has been with her on-again and off-again. And one more thing: some slightly good new for all you St. Berry fans reading this story. When Rachel and Jesse 'break up', it won't exactly be a break up. They still remain close friends and instead of break up, they come to an understanding. Now that I have explained the new plotline thoroughly enough, I will stop writing. Let me know what you think! Should the break up between Rachel and Sam (when I get to that point) be a harsh one, or more of an understanding like the one Rachel and Jesse will have? Do you like the new plotline better? Tell me either in private messages or in your amazingly wonderful reviews! Like my Facebook page, read my other stories, and most importantly, REVIEW! One more thing: the next story I will be updating will be 'The Other Way Around'. And yes, that story will still have some definite St. Berry in it XD. After that, expect updates on 'Bury Me in Black' and 'Seventeen Reasons Why'. All right, that's it. REVIEW! They are not only appreciated, they're encouraged!**


	6. Chapter 6: His Love is Still in Me

**Yes! Another chapter of this amazing story! After writing this chapter, I have to say, I like this story a whole lot more then I did before XD! So this chapter has the tiniest bit of St. Berry, but everyone can tell that Rachel is pulling away from Jesse and leaning more towards Sam, some Finchel interaction, and some definite Samchel interaction as well. Plus, a little guy fight between Sam and Finn as they decide on their own terms who's better for Rachel. Next chapter is the break up/understanding between Rachel and Jesse. But let's focus on this chapter for now. This one is entitled 'His Love is Still in Me'. It's a line from a really good song called 'Broken Arrow' by Pixie Lott.**

Rachel stood outside the choir room. She knew it was a punishment to watching the glee club rehearse for regionals, but in a way, she felt she deserved the punishment. Her gaze was trained on Finn. God, he couldn't dance. She hoped, for the sake of their future, that they wouldn't get marked down for Finn's terrible dancing skills. Then someone else caught her eye: Sam. She tipped her head to the side and watched as he jumped up in to sing back up. His gaze found hers, and he winked at her. Blushing like mad, Rachel stepped away from the choir room door and sat in front of her locker, hugging her knees close to her chest.

In truth, she was waiting for Jesse to come pick her up. Lately, he had been dropping her off at school meaning she didn't have a ride back home unless he came to pick her up. Where was he? He promised he'd be there to pick her up. School had been dismissed fifteen minutes earlier.

While she was waiting, she couldn't help but wonder if there was glee rehearsal today. There usually was one every Thursday after school, but she felt as though she had to make sure.

She should've known there was rehearsal. She shouldn't have stopped by; it hurt too much to watch them act like a family without her. Yet she couldn't pull her gaze away from their rehearsal. Part of her wanted to open the door, walk in, and pretend she never quit. Another part of her wanted to walk in and beg for forgiveness and acceptance. The last part of her wanted to stay standing outside watching them rehearse for competition without her…just to torture herself.

In the end, the final option was the one chosen.

And thus, here she was, waiting for Jesse to come pick her up, watching her supposed 'friends' rehearse without her, and still confused about her feelings. But she didn't want to bring up that subject again; last time she had, she had passed out in the middle of the hallway. It was Sam who had found her and taken her to the nurse, and Sam who had checked to see if she was okay.

Sam. As if Rachel's life couldn't get anymore confusing. Whenever she thought of the blond football jock now, her thoughts were always filled with admiration. It confused her; she thought she loved Jesse, and she knew she had remaining feelings for Finn which she wished she could escape but unfortunately couldn't, but once Sam entered her life…it seemed as though she was possibly falling for him.

The door to the choir room swung open and she stiffened, eyeing it with suspicion as Sam walked out, an adorable half-smile on his face.

"Hey, there. Have you come to steal our ideas?" He asked, eyes sparkling.

"No. I've come to torture myself." She muttered in reply. "I miss glee, but I'm too proud to return." She paused. "And I won't break up with Jesse." She added in quickly. Sam chuckled.

"We miss you, too."

"No, you don't." Rachel sighed. "You just miss my talent. Everyone knows that I'm one of the best singers in there." Sam raised an eyebrow. "Not to sound narcissistic or anything." She added in quickly. Sam chuckled.

"You know, I broke up with Santana." He said softly. "I was just kinda dating her to make me more popular. And to get back at Quinn."

"I know." Rachel said quietly, meeting his gaze. God, he had the prettiest green eyes. They were prettier then Finn's hazel eyes.

"You did?" He asked, tipping his head to the side. Her breath caught in her throat as his blond hair fell into his eyes. Wordlessly, she nodded her head.

"Y-You told me, remember?" She said in a choked voice. Something about being around Sam drove her insides insane. He frowned before chuckling.

"Oh, yeah." He flashed her a perfect grin. "So what are still doing here?"

"Waiting for Jesse to come pick me up." She sighed. "I think he forgot I quit glee." Sam grinned at her.

"A very common mistake made by many." He began. "Whenever you hear the name Rachel Berry, her voice comes to mind. And once you have her angelic voice in your head, you think of her glee club membership, only to remember she quit." She frowned and Sam laughed. "Or you're like me, and you totally forget that she quit and look at the choir room door all rehearsal wondering when she'll storm in with another one of her brilliant ideas."

"You thought my ideas were brilliant?" She asked softly. Sam's eyes found hers again and his gaze suddenly became serious.

"Only an idiot would think your ideas sucked." He replied honestly.

"No one else listened to my ideas." Rachel muttered, turning away. Sam gently cupped her face in his hands and made it so her eyes were staring directly into his again.

"Then they were idiots." He whispered. "Your ideas were…_**are**_…the best."

Had Jesse not shown up that moment Rachel was almost sure he would have kissed her. As much as she didn't want to hurt Jesse by making out with another guy just like she had hurt Finn, she wanted to kiss Sam so bad. But Jesse had shown up and thankfully stopped her from doing anything stupid.

"Rachel." Jesse called behind her. She jumped and whirled around, her gaze softening a bit once she recognized Jesse. Wordlessly, she got to her feet and wrapped her arms around his waist as he embraced her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry I'm late. I forgot you quit glee until about five minutes ago, and then I was rushing over here to come and pick you up. I must have broken fifteen different laws getting here." Rachel giggled, forgetting about Sam for a brief moment.

"You shouldn't have hurried. I was waiting right here." She reassured him in a quiet voice. Jesse glanced up and caught Sam's eyes. He pulled away from Rachel.

"Who's that?" Jesse asked. Sam got to his feet and flashed Jesse a smile.

"I'm Sam. One of Rachel's friends." He introduced himself. "And I'm guessing you're the Jesse guy she talks about all the time." Rachel's cheeks turned red as Jesse shot her a confused look before returning his gaze to Sam.

"Yeah, I'm Jesse. Nice to meet you, Sam." Jesse wrapped his arm around Rachel's shoulder and led her a few feet away before stopping and placing a soft kiss on her lips. She was shocked by the move but returned the kiss. She knew what he was doing; he was showing Sam that Rachel was his and to back off.

For a brief moment, she opened her eyes and shifted her gaze beyond Jesse's perfect face. She caught sight of Sam, who was watching them a few feet away. His jaw was set as he watched the two kissing but as soon as he saw Rachel's eyes open, and that they were staring at him, a grin returned to his face. He winked at her and reentered the choir room. Rachel's heart was racing and before Jesse could notice, she closed her eyes.

It was official: she was falling for Sam Evans.

-glee!-

The next day at school, she found Finn waiting at her locker. She froze in the middle of the hallway before nonchalantly making her way over to her locker. For the longest time, she ignored him and pretended he wasn't there while she gathered her books. But she knew she couldn't avoid him forever, so she closed her locker door and met his gaze.

"What?" She asked.

"I heard you passed out in the hallway a few days ago." He said, worry clouding his gaze. She rolled her eyes and walked past him.

"Aren't you a bit late? That happened four days ago." She said scornfully.

"Are you alright?" He asked, ignoring her comment.

"Where did you hear that, anyways?" She asked, turning to face him. Finn shrugged his shoulders.

"Around." He mumbled.

"There was only one person who knew I had passed out in the hallway." She paused. "And that person, frankly, was the only one who cared, as he was the one who had taken me to the clinic."

"Who?" Finn asked, but he knew. He heard him talking about the incident two days ago with Mike in the locker room after football practice. Of course, Finn didn't really see that much of Rachel now that she had quit glee.

"Sam." Rachel replied. He frowned as he stared into her eyes. They seemed to sparkle when she said his name. The tone of her voice sounded dreamy…he recognized that voice. Whenever she talked to him about one of their dates, she would use that tone. Could it be possible that she was falling in love with Sam…? He frowned at the idea. She was dating Jesse; there was no way she could be falling for Sam as well.

"Oh." He frowned again. "So…do you wanna maybe talk? We haven't really said anything to each other lately."

"I've been busy." Rachel defended herself. "Besides, you haven't exactly made a move to start talking to me until now."

"I don't really see you as much since you quit glee." He countered. She flinched and sighed before returning her gaze to Finn.

"I quit glee because you would have made me break up with Jesse if I hadn't." She responded in a cool voice.

"Would that have been such a bad thing?" He asked. He expected Rachel to snap at him and tell him that he had stepped out of line, but instead, she shifted her weight and stared off into the distance, a vacant expression in her eyes.

"I guess not." She said softly. His eyes widened; had he heard her correctly? Was her relationship with Jesse really falling apart that quickly? "Because where old love ends, new love is formed." Her voice had that dreamy quality to it. He frowned and slowly turned around, following her gaze. Sure enough, she was staring at Sam, who was talking to Artie and Mike. After the two other guys left, Sam's gaze met Rachel's. He winked at her before heading into the boys' bathroom. Rachel smiled faintly before returning her attention to Finn. "Are we done here?" She asked in a collective manner. Unable to speak, Finn just nodded his head. Rachel flashed him a smile before waving goodbye and starting down the opposite end of the hallway. He watched her leave before turning around and darting into the boys' bathroom.

Sam was standing at the sink, washing his hands and checking his appearance in the mirror. He caught sight of Finn and flashed him a polite grin, as they hadn't exactly been on the best of terms since the whole incident with Quinn.

"Hey, Finn. Man, practice was a bitch yesterday, wasn't it?" He said, hoping to strike a conversation with the quarterback. He had some questions to ask…questions only he would have answers to. Finn frowned and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I guess." He mumbled.

"My legs are kinda sore from running those laps." Sam continued.

"We do those every time." Finn shot Sam a confused look before letting out a defeated sigh. "Look, dude, what is this really about? Are you still upset about the whole thing with Quinn? 'Cause I am sorry." Sam flinched at the mention of his ex-girlfriend but shook his head.

"Of course not. I'm over Quinn." He grinned. "I've got my eye on someone else."

"That's what I'm talking about." Finn said tersely. Sam slowly turned to face Finn, letting a sigh escape his mouth.

"Fine. You got me. I like Rachel." He smiled, letting his mind wander to his thought about the petite brunette. "She's pretty, she's smart, and she's got a voice."

"You can't like Rachel." Finn protested. "She's got a boyfriend.

"Didn't stop you from liking Quinn." Sam muttered, fixing Finn with a cold glare. "Besides, why would you care, now that you've got Quinn? You don't need Rachel. Hell, you don't even love her."

"You don't know that." Finn shot back. "You're stepping way out of line here, Evans."

"I think it's you who's stepping out of line, not me." Sam shot back. "I can't help what I feel. So what if she's got a boyfriend? Yesterday, I saw them kissing in the hallway, and she opened her eyes and stared at me."

"You're lying." Finn scoffed. "You were in glee rehearsal yesterday. There's no way you could've seen Rachel and Jesse together."

"Where else do you think I went when I told Mr. Schuester I had to go to the bathroom?" Sam asked smugly. "She was alone, waiting for Jesse to come pick her up. So I hung out with her. And she stared at me the same way she used to stare at you: with a look of such admiration it could kill you." He paused. "And had Jesse not shown up at that moment, I'm pretty sure we would've kissed."

"You're lying." Finn whispered. "Rachel would never cheat."

"She cheated on you." Sam retorted.

"Then why would you want to date her?" Finn countered.

"Because she made a mistake. It's clear that she's sorry for it. But you're too wrapped up in your damn reputation that you can't even notice that." Sam's throat tightened as he stared at Finn. It was clear that he was just as pissed as Sam was. "She deserves better then you."

"And you're somehow better?" Finn yelled. "You dated Santana; after you date someone like her, you're too screwed up to date someone like Rachel."

"You _**slept **_with Santana." Sam hissed. "Truth is, you shouldn't have dated Rachel in the first place. She's a fragile girl." He smirked. "Did you know that she passed out in the hallway the other day because of you? Calling a truce with her confused her so much. Her emotions spiraled wildly out of control and it proved to be too much for her, so she fainted." Finn was silent for a long moment before staring at Sam with unemotional eyes.

"Fine. You wanna date Rachel? Go ahead. Good luck getting her back from Jesse, though." Finn turned to leave. "She's a hard girl to win."

"Really?" Sam asked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah." Finn shot Sam a knowing look. "I would know."

**Oh, I sense drama! Anyone else see it, too? So Sam and Finn aren't on the best of terms, Rachel's really falling hard for Sam, yet she still finds herself drawn to Jesse and confused about her lingering feelings for Finn. How confusing. Next chapter brings us to the end of St. Berry and Rachel's return to glee! Expect a Samchel relationship sometime in the near future! And if anyone thinks that Finn is done with Rachel, they're wrong. Dead wrong. He's going to give Sam some friendly competition, and eventually be the reason why Sam and Rachel break up. As always, Finchel is endgame. But there are still two more guys after Sam before Rachel returns to Finn's arms. And most of you guessed it: Puck and Blaine. There will be more to come on them and their relationships with Rachel later on. Please read my other stories, like my Facebook page, and REVIEW! There's only one more story I promised to update by Sunday and that story was 'In the End, It's Right'. So keep an eye out for an update on that as well!**


	7. Chapter 7: New Beginnings

**This chapter is definitely the longest one of this story, and probably will remain the longest. So it definitely has its high points and low points, but all in all, I think it's one of my best. I loved writing it, and I hope you love reading it. This chapter also includes the lyrics from 'Come Back to Me' by David Cook. Anything you see in regular **_italics_**, then it's just Sam singing. Anything you see in _bold and italics_ is Sam and the rest of the group singing. Now, enjoy! This chapter is entitled 'New Beginnings'. PS: if some things are a bit off, please understand that timing and information/research are my weak points. I'm working on it XD.**

He got the call while he was waiting for school to dismiss. His phone began vibrating in his pocket, and had he been somewhere more…_**entertaining**_, he wouldn't have heard it. But lucky for him, he was bored off his ass. So he did hear his phone vibrating. So he did answer the call.

"Hello?" He asked simply.

"Jesse!" A voice hissed on the other end. "Man, you gotta come back! The _**dean **_started asking me where the hell you were! It's been a week!" Jesse sighed and glanced at his clock; five more minutes until school dismissed. Five more minutes until he was finally reunited with Rachel.

"Look, Brandon…we've been through this. You're supposed to tell the dean I'm out looking after a sick family relative." Jesse said to his roommate, rolling his eyes.

"He talked to your dad." Brandon said flatly. This immediately caught Jesse's attention and he sat bolt upright in his seat.

"What?" He asked.

"The dean pulled me into his office and asked me if I knew where you were, being as I am your roommate. So I told him exactly what you told me to tell him. Except…he didn't believe me. 'Cause, you know, we skipped class a couple of times…so he called your dad to check that my story was…okay. Of course, your dad told him everyone in your family was fine. So he hung up with him and gave me this evil look and threatened to do some awfully horrible stuff so…I told him you were in Lima wooing a girl." Brandon finished.

"Brandon!"

"I'm sorry, Jesse! So he told me to tell you that you got four days to get your ass back up here or I'm gonna have to find another school to go to! And you know coming here…to California…you know it was my dream, Jesse!"

"Being with this girl is my dream." Jesse said slowly, so caught up in the conversation that he didn't hear the bell ring. Or see the petite brunette darting over to his car. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine. I'll talk to Rachel. I'll let her know…that I have to go back."

"Good choice." There was a pause. "So you did get her back, huh?"

"Turns out she broke up with the guy she was with before." Jesse said slyly. He glanced out the window and cursed under his breath when he saw Rachel coming closer to the car.

"Get to any good bases?" Brandon asked.

"She's right outside my car. I gotta go."

"Oh. Alright." Brandon paused. "I think you know this subconsciously, but you're going to have to break up with her to come back here."

"No—"

"Face it, Jesse. We don't get any more free time until the summer! And by then, she would've moved on. Same with you. It just wasn't meant to work." Jesse let Brandon's words sink into his head and he frowned. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you got her back, but the only other option is she's gotta come with you. And she's only a junior in high school. There's no way she'd want to come to California with you."

"Yeah." Jesse sighed. "I wish things could be different."

"You and me both. Well, I gotta run, too. Talk to you later. And get your ass up here in four days! No 'fashionably late' shit!" Brandon exclaimed and Jesse chuckled.

"Yeah. Okay." They hung up and, perfectly on time, Rachel opened the car door and jumped into her seat. It was funny, he realized, how she had only sat in that seat a few times and it already claimed to be hers. The things love makes you think of…it's quite astonishing.

"Hi." Rachel said cheerily.

"Hey." Jesse greeted, putting the phone conversation to the back of his mind as he leaned in and stole a kiss from lips. "How was your day?"

"Nothing to complain about." Rachel reported as she fastened her seatbelt. "Yours?"

"I spent my whole day missing you." Jesse said with a grin. Rachel's cheeks turned bright red as she rolled her eyes. He smiled; he would miss that about her.

But maybe Brandon was right; maybe their relationship wasn't meant to work.

Either way, he still had four days with her. He'd make them the best four days of their lives.

-glee!-

"I miss glee club." Rachel admitted as she stared into the bathroom mirror. She wasn't admitting it to anyone in particular; her therapist told her that she needed to come to terms with her wants and needs before admitting it to others. And she knew what she wanted. And that was to rejoin the glee club. "I miss the feeling of belonging, the sense of family…"

"Then why'd you start dating Jesse?" A voice asked behind her. Bewildered, Rachel spun around and came face to face with Quinn Fabray, the last person she wanted to speak to right now. So Rachel turned back around and returned her gaze to the mirror, fixing her make up and readjusting her hair. She did her best to ignore the stubborn blond standing a few feet away from her. "Were you really that pissed at Finn?"

"Don't…talk about Finn." Rachel warned, stopping what she was doing.

"He's a part of the problem." Quinn stated simply.

"He wasn't necessarily a problem until he started dating you."

"Until you started dating Jesse." Quinn corrected. Rachel rolled her eyes and continued to ignore Quinn. She had three minutes left until the bell rang, and she hoped that all three of them wouldn't be spent talking to her. "You don't even love him, do you?" She asked. Rachel stopped and dropped her gaze, doing her best to ignore the smug smile on Quinn's perfect face.

"I…I'm not sure." She admitted.

"You don't." Quinn stated matter-of-factly. "I see the way you stare at Sam in English. And the way you practically leapt to his aid yesterday when he was struggling with that one assignment definitely made it obvious that you had the hots for him."

"I do not!" Rachel exclaimed, cheeks turning bright red.

"I know you're lying." Quinn said with a smirk on her face.

"Why would it matter to you anyways?" Rachel asked hotly. "You cheated on him and you're practically dating Finn now."

"I may not be dating Sam, but I don't want him to get hurt." Quinn said softly.

"And you think I'd hurt him?" Rachel snorted.

"You were the one who cheated on Finn when you kissed Puck." Quinn reminded her. Rachel's cheeks turned bright red and she sighed.

"Let's say I do like Sam…what am I supposed to do? I'm dating Jesse, and I have Finn following me around like a lost puppy, begging for forgiveness."

"He likes you, too." Quinn said quietly. Rachel's head snapped up and she tipped her head to the side.

"Wh-what?" She stammered.

"He likes you more then he ever liked me. I see the way he looks at you, talks to you, and last time you two were in the hallway, I could tell he wanted to kiss you. Because right before he kisses someone, he runs his fingers through his hair nervously and gives you this serious look before ever-so-slightly touching your hand…" Her voice trailed off and Rachel shuddered, realizing just how accurate her description was.

"Wow." Rachel whispered.

"Sam's a great guy. Very sweet and very generous." Quinn said wishfully. "I feel stupid for taking advantage of him."

"Then why are you with Finn and not trying to get him back?"

"Because it's pointless." Quinn said, rolling her eyes. "It's obvious that he likes you, and watching you obsess over Finn and try to get him back was sort of a wake up call for me." The bell rang and Quinn smiled. "And by the way, glee club misses you, too." With that, she left the bathroom, leaving Rachel alone to sort out her confusing life alone.

-glee!-

"Let's face it." Puck exclaimed, shaking his head. "We need Rachel. We need her to do anything at all regarding regionals." He shook his head and slumped into his seat.

"That's not the spirit." Santana argued. "Rachel's a bitch. She brought this on herself. She shouldn't have started dating that curly-haired freak of nature."

"Rachel is most certainly _**not **_a bitch." Finn argued.

"Speak for yourself, Santana." Sam agreed, crossing his arms. At least he knew there was one thing he and Finn could agree on.

"What's that, trouty mouth? I couldn't quite hear what you said." She smirked. "It's too bad your voice isn't as big as your lips."

"Oh, shut up, you fuckin' whore!" Lauren exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "No one wants to listen to you bitch about someone else because you're fucking miserable." The whole room fell silent and Puck nodded his head with a cocky half-grin on his face.

"That's my girl." He said, nodding approvingly.

"Okay, guys, getting back to the point…" Quinn began. "Puck is right. We can't go to regionals without Rachel. Which is why I called this emergency meeting…"

"You didn't do shit, Quinn." Sam said, rolling his eyes. "I called the meeting. There's something I wanted to say…"

"Where's Mr. Schuester?" Kurt asked.

"He left. This is one of those things that we don't need him for." Sam informed him.

"We need Mr. Schuester for everything." Tina argued, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"We didn't need him for sectionals that one time." Mike pointed out.

"Yeah." Artie agreed. "Those two other clubs stole out set list and we didn't need Mr. Schuester to help us come up with a new one only moments before the show. And we still won…unanimously."

"Can I just finish what I was going to say?" Sam asked tiredly. If he hurried up, he could still catch Rachel right before she left.

"Sure. Go ahead, white boy." Mercedes said, smirking. Sam shot her a grateful smile before continuing.

"There's one thing I noticed about Rachel…"

"Her rockin' body?" Puck asked. "'Cause, I mean, that's all you've been lookin' at lately." The club began snickering and Sam's cheeks turned red.

"Puck, can you please shut up?" Finn asked, growing irritated.

"Um, as I was saying…I've noticed something about Rachel." Sam paused. "She sings for a lot of people. She sang for Finn and she sang about her feelings. But…no one ever sang for her."

"Why would anyone want to sing for Rachel?" Brittany asked, tipping her head to the side.

"It's what she's always wanted." Sam stated simply.

"And how would you know that?" Santana asked crudely. Sam shifted a bit uncomfortably. He wasn't about to admit that through several flirty texts between the two of them he managed to get her to not only tell him she wasn't interested in dating Jesse anymore, but how to get her to rejoin glee club.

"Well, who wouldn't want to get sung to?" Sam asked, raising his eyebrows. "When Mr. Schuester had us do that love song assignment, how did it make you feel knowing someone was singing for you?"

"You want us to sing a love song for Rachel?" Kurt asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No!" Sam exclaimed. "I just…tell me one thing you guys liked about Rachel. Anything."

"Her ass." Puck said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Her voice." Kurt said dreamily. No one said anything after that. Sam sighed.

"There wasn't anything else you guys liked about Rachel?"

"Um…" Tina frowned. "Her laugh?" Sam sighed, smiling to himself.

"I liked the way she always had an idea and how she worked hard to make sure it was executed perfectly." He beamed.

"How she would motivate us to do better." Mercedes muttered. Slowly, everyone began throwing in different qualities about Rachel that they missed. After a few minutes of discussing these different traits, they all turned to face Sam.

"What's this got to do with a song for Rachel?" Artie asked.

"You guys just realized that you don't just want Rachel for her voice, but for these other qualities as well." Sam said proudly.

"I'm not sure how Rachel's _**ass **_could help us win regionals." Quinn said, shooting Puck an icy glare. Sam stifled a laugh before leaning against the piano.

"Whenever you lose someone important, or you want to get someone, or you want to show them how much you care, you sing a song for them." Sam paused. "There's nothing more important to Rachel then getting sung to. How many times did she put her feelings out there for us and how many times did we ignore it?" Everyone fell silent and Sam nodded his head, feeling his point had been made.

"What song are we going to sing?" Mike asked.

"Whoah. Who said we were all down with this assignment?" Santana asked, glaring at Sam. "I say we put it to a vote, like we've always done." Sam felt his heart stop, but he nodded his head slowly.

"Sounds fair enough." He agreed. "Those in favor of singing a song for Rachel?" Everyone's hand shot it into the air except Santana and Brittany's. "Those opposed?" Only Santana raised her hand.

"I personally don't miss Rachel, and I think we could win regionals without her." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Um…what about you, Brittany?" Sam asked, doing his best to ignore Santana.

"Huh?" The blond asked, confused.

"You didn't vote." He explained.

"I don't know how to." Brittany mumbled.

"Well, uh, do you want to sing Rachel a song?" Sam asked.

"Only if San does." Brittany said quietly, shooting Santana a nervous glance. After a few seconds of silence, the Latino let out a loud sigh before crossing her arms and fixing Sam with a cold glare.

"Fine. I'll sing a song for Rachel." She said, seeming disgusted. Sam grinned.

"Great! So—"

"But I'm not singing her love a song." Santana continued.

"For once, I agree with her." Quinn said, nodding her head.

"Leave the love songs to you and Finn." Mercedes agreed.

"Um…okay…" Sam nodded his head. "Does anyone have any ideas?" No one spoke up and Sam couldn't help but grin. Last night, after saying goodnight to Rachel, he had come up with brilliant idea to get the glee club to sing her a song to get her to rejoin. So he searched his iPod and came across the perfect song.

"I don't think anyone has an idea…" Finn said slowly. Sam smiled; he knew Finn was probably kicking himself for not coming up with the idea himself. Once Rachel learned it was Sam who did all this, she would immediately fall into his arms and she would finally be his.

"Well, I do…but I was kinda waiting to see if anyone else did." Sam admitted.

"Do tell." Kurt said, leaning forward excitedly.

"Tomorrow." Sam promised, catching a glimpse of the time. If he could just hurry everything up, he might be able to give Rachel a hug goodbye. She gave the best hugs.

"So, like, is this meeting done now?" Lauren asked.

"Yeah. But…come back here tomorrow during lunch." Sam smiled. "I want to have this ready for Rachel by Thursday."

"It's Tuesday." Tina pointed out.

"And…?"

"Why do you want to perform for her so bad?" Mercedes asked pointedly. "It ain't like she's going anywhere."

"The sooner we have Rachel back in glee club, the sooner we can prepare for regionals." Sam explained. Everyone murmured in agreement and Sam smiled. "So… meet back here at lunch tomorrow."

"Got it." Mike smiled, wrapping his arm around Tina's shoulder as they left the room. Slowly, everyone exited the choir room and Sam instantly grabbed his backpack, darting towards the door when…

"Evans!" Sam winced and turned around to see Puck nonchalantly making his way over to him. "What's up with you and Berry?"

"Nothing." Sam muttered. "Why do you ask?"

"'Cause you're all over her." Puck said with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"I have not been 'all over her'." Sam loved the use of air quotes, especially in a time like this.

"Dude, you're practically suffocating her."

"What if she likes it?" Sam countered, and instantly regretted saying it. As soon as the words left his mouth, a spark of interest lit up in Puck's eyes.

"What have you and my hot little Jew been up to?" Puck asked. Sam blushed and sighed, reluctantly pulling out his phone. As Puck read through the text messages, Sam couldn't stop and think what Rachel was doing right now.

"I think I really like her." Sam confessed.

"These texts definitely prove that." Puck said with a chuckle. "They also say she likes you back."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. God, who knew Berry could be so…flirty? She was so sweet and wholesome when I was with her." Puck sighed.

"What should I do?" Sam asked, ignoring the last comment.

"Go for it." Puck smiled. "You and Rachel would make pretty awesome babies." Sam's cheeks turned red again and he continued out the door. "But wait!" Puck called after him.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful; she's not only hot, she's also a heartbreaker." Puck said earnestly. "Just look at what she did to Finn."

"You were at fault for that, too." Sam snorted.

"See, Rachel is what us bad-asses call…a tease." Puck smiled. "They only let you get as far as second base and once they have you in their grip, they dump you or do something to break your heart."

"Rachel isn't like that." Sam shook his head. "She's different."

"Just warning you." Puck pat Sam on the back comfortingly before leaving the choir room. "Gotta look after my men!" Sam rolled his eyes and sighed, quickly walking at fast pace through the empty McKinley halls to the library, where Rachel usually waited for Jesse. Because she had been talking to Sam much more then she used to, she had lied to Jesse and told him that they had some huge exam in her math class and she had been staying after school every day since.

Sam opened the double doors to the library just in time to see Rachel gathering her belongings. He smiled and tapped her on the shoulder. Surprised, she spun around before smiling and giggling.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "You scared me." Sam chuckled and shoved his hands into his jean pockets nervously. Lately, since things had obviously been evolving from an innocent friendship to something much more, Sam had found himself growing more nervous in front of Rachel. He remembered what Santana had told him, about being a nerd, and he was afraid that side of him would drive Rachel away. And he really didn't want to lose her. So he racked his brains for something…_**normal**_ to say.

"Sorry." He mumbled. She grinned.

"I was just leaving." She said softly. "To find you."

"Me?" Sam asked, surprised. Holy shit, Puck was right!

"Of course." She smiled coyly. "I told Jesse I was staying later today. He disagreed at first, but I told him this test was really important to my grade." She blinked innocently. "So he reluctantly agreed. He said something about wanting to spend more time together. Like we don't have enough time! He's going to be here for four more weeks!"

"You lied…about the test _**and**_ staying later…for me?" Sam asked in a voice barely above a whisper. Well, it was a library…

"I just felt like you and I should talk more in person." She shrugged her shoulders and flashed him a seductive smile. "Get to know each other better."

"Okay." Sam agreed.

"Where should we go?" She checked her cell phone. "I have fifteen minutes left before Jesse comes to pick me up."

"Outside. To the field." Sam decided. Rachel's face lit up.

"Perfect!" She skipped (literally) out the door and darted down the hallways. Damn, that girl was adorable. He sighed and followed her, watching as she stopped and turned back to face him. "Where do you want to sit?"

"Under the bleachers." Sam suggested. Rachel grinned and started that way before stopping in her tracks. Sam frowned and walked up to her, hesitantly placing his hand on her shoulder. "Is there something wrong with sitting under the bleachers?"

"N-no." She stammered, looking at her feet. "It's just…that's where Finn and I would sneak away to…make out…after his football practice…"

"Not much hiding." Sam snorted, grinning. "I always wondered where he took off to during break." He hoped this would lighten her mood, but it instead seemed to make it worse. So he tried again. "So it looks like I have some pretty high expectations to live up to." She glanced up at him, eyes wide, before a smile filled with pleasure appeared on her face.

"I'm sure you will be able to surpass them." With that, she darted towards the bleachers. Sam let his breath out slowly before following Rachel. She was able to slide under the bleachers with such ease…he hoped he wouldn't like too much of an idiot trying to copy her perfect entrance. And surprisingly, he didn't. As soon as he took a seat in front of her, she began giggling.

"What's so funny?" He demanded.

"Nothing." She gazed into his eyes with a soft smile playing on her lips. "You just looked really cute just now." Instead of blushing and telling her the same thing, he smiled.

"How could I possibly look cute?" He asked. Rachel shrugged.

"I don't know. You just did."

"I had to have climbed under them the same way Finn did." He knew it may have been a bad move, but maybe Rachel would say something that she liked about him that she didn't like about Finn.

"Finn wasn't as graceful as you." Rachel admitted. "So…that winter dance is coming up."

"Are you and Jesse going?" Sam asked. Rachel shook her head.

"Jesse will be gone by then." She grinned. "We'll be keeping a long distance relationship until he comes back to visit."

"That's cool."

"Besides, I don't even know if I'm going to the dance." She blushed. "Last time I went, Karofsky and his gang spilled fruit punch all over my dress." She winced at the memory and shuddered. Instinctively, he reached out his hand and brushed a loose strand of hair from her eyes.

"I won't let them do that to you." Sam said quietly. Rachel tipped her head to the side as she stared into his eyes, mesmerized.

"Okay." She whispered. Sam smiled and sat back, running his fingers through his hair and lightly touching her hand. He had the urge to kiss her now. So he leaned forward, half-expecting her to push him away, like Quinn had, but she instead closed her eyes and parted her lips. _Holy shit!_ Sam thought, but he edged closer and closer…her face was only inches away, and just when his lips went to meet hers, her cell phone went off. She groaned and reluctantly pulled away, pulling out her phone to see that it was Jesse who was calling. She sighed and flipped it open.

"Hello?" Sam couldn't quite hear what was on the other end, so he just sat back and waited for her conversation to end. Damn Jesse! He had been so close to kissing Rachel! But then again, she was his girlfriend…

"Why are you here already?" She asked, confusion coloring her voice. "Already?" She grabbed Sam's hand and glanced at the watch he wore around his wrist. "Shit! I'm sorry, Jesse!" Sam, too, glanced at time and realized that it had been fifteen minutes. Eighteen, to be exact. "Yeah, I'll be there. Love you, too." Rachel sighed and flashed Sam an apologetic smile as she hung up.

"My guess is you have to go?" He asked coolly.

"I'm sorry, Sam." Rachel said earnestly. "We'll have to do this again sometime." Wordlessly, Sam nodded his head. Satisfied, Rachel smiled and gently kissed him on the cheek before grabbing her belongings and darting away from where they were sitting. Dazed, Sam watched her leave. She had kissed him. Sure, it had been on the cheek, but his lips weren't that far from his cheek.

He had to get her back in glee club.

He had to make her his.

-glee!-

"So that song?" Mercedes prompted, noticing the stacks of sheet music in Sam's hands. Everyone took a seat in the chairs of the choir room and enjoyed their lunches.

"No love songs." Quinn reminded him Sam rolled his eyes and began passing out the sheet music. It had taken him forever to find sheet music for this song and he was still surprised that Coach Sylvester hadn't noticed he used her copying machine to make the several copies he held in his hands.

"I was listening to my iPod and thought that maybe this song would be pretty good." Sam explained. "It's David Cook's 'Come Back to Me'."

"That's a love song." Santana said scornfully.

"No, it's not." Sam argued. "The guy's telling this girl that she can go, but when she finds herself, to come back." Silence met his explanation.

"That's borderline love song." Kurt snorted.

"Come on, guys; it's a great song. And it's perfect." Sam pleaded.

"Yeah. Sam's right." Finn agreed. Although there was a hostile look in Finn's eyes when he stared at Sam, he was still grateful that he agreed with him. "The song is a perfect song."

"For you to sing to have Rachel swooning over you again." Lauren said, rolling her eyes.

"Let's just do the damn song. It won't kill any of us and it'll get Rachel back." Puck exclaimed tiredly. Sam grinned.

"Fine." Santana said exasperatedly. Everyone else reluctantly agreed and Sam let out a sigh of relief.

"Who's getting the solo?" Quinn asked.

"Um…" Sam had been hoping he could take the solo, so Rachel would admire him more, but he didn't want to seem self-absorbed. "Who wants it?" No one spoke up.

"I think Sam should take it." Kurt suggested. "He is the one who proposed the idea, and I think he's the only one Rachel would really listen to right now."

"I agree." Mike nodded his head.

"I third the idea." Artie said with a grin.

"All those in favor of Sam taking the solo?" Mercedes asked. Everyone raised their hands.

"It's settled." Kurt grinned. "Sam takes the solo, and we'll harmonize in the background. Project Get Rachel Back has now begun."

-glee!-

"Sam!" Rachel exclaimed as he continued to guide her to wherever his surprise for her was. She tripped over her feet and crossed her arms. "I could seriously injure myself if I don't have my eyesight."

"I wouldn't let that happen to you." He whispered into her ear. She shuddered, suddenly feeling very comforted.

"Jesse and I have plans." She mumbled, but it was useless. There was no way she was getting out of this.

"Your plans can be put on hold." Sam said quietly. "Okay, we're here. You can open your eyes now." Rachel did as she was told, and immediately stiffened at what she saw. Gathered on the stage sitting on stools was the entire glee club. She started to back out of the auditorium, but Sam grabbed her hand and held her back. "Trust me when I say this is worth your time." He whispered before jogging onto the stage. Unable to move, Rachel stood there awkwardly, several feet from the stage but only inches away from the door. She made a move to leave again, but the music started and instantly made her freeze. Her curiousity got the best of her and she watched as the vocals began.

_You say you gotta go and find yourself,_

_You say that you're becoming someone else!_

_Don't recognize the face in the mirror looking back at you._

_You say you're leaving as you look away,_

_I know there's really nothing left to say!_

_Just know I'm here, right when you need me, I'll be here for you._

Rachel frowned; not only was Sam doing wonderfully singing, but she knew this song. And was it just her, or were they singing for her? She hoped they were.

_**So I'll let you go, I'll set you free!**_

_**And wait till you see what you need to see!**_

_**When you find you, come back to me.**_

Rachel smiled. She had convinced herself that they were singing for her. Why else would they choose this particular song? The message was clear and the looks on their faces were genuine; they really had missed her.

_Take your time, I won't go anywhere._

_Picture you with the wind in your hair._

_I keep you're face, right where you left it, I'll be here for you._

_**Oh, and I'll let you go, I'll set you free!**_

_**And wait till you see what you need to see!**_

_**When you find you, come back to me.**_

The message and intentions of the song were very clear. It was telling Rachel that they understood why she left, that they were sorry, but they weren't pushing her to come back. They were giving her as much time as she needed to find herself before she returned. And she really liked that.

_**And I hope you find everything that you need!**_

_**I'll be right here, waiting to see!**_

_**When you find you, come back to me.**_

_**I can't get close if you're not there,**_

_**And I can't get inside if there's no silver pair.**_

_**I can't fix you, I can't save you.**_

_**It's something you'll have to do alone!**_

Everyone else's vocals died down and it was just Sam singing. Rachel smiled shyly as his gaze fell straight on her. He was an outstanding singer; why hadn't she noticed it before?

_So I'll let you go, I'll set you free._

_And wait till you see what you need to see._

_When you find you, come back to me._

_Come back to me!_

_**So I'll let you go, I'll set you free!**_

_**And wait till you see what you need to see!**_

_**When you find you, come back to me.**_

_**And I hope you find everything that you need!**_

_**I'll be right here, waiting to see!**_

_**When you find you, come back to me!**_

_**A-oh! A-oh! When you find you, come back to me!**_

_**A-oh! A-oh! When you find you, come back to me!**_

He didn't even have to ask Rachel if she liked the performance; her answer was clear on her face. Sam wasn't even sure if he should sing the last line, his last solo, but he did. He wondered if it made a difference.

_When you find you, come back to me._

Immediately, after the performance was over, Rachel was jumping up and down, clapping her hands loudly.

"That was amazing!" She praised. "Perfection! I'm so glad you guys came up with that without me! It's a shoe-in for regionals!" Sam felt his heart drop a little; did Rachel seriously think this song was for regionals?

"It was for you." Sam said quietly, but it was loud enough for Rachel to hear. A look of fake surprise came onto her face and her hand flew mockingly over her heart.

"Really?"

"Instantly making me regret singing this for her…" Santana muttered.

"We want you to consider rejoining glee club." Sam explained. "All of us do. We understand that we treated you bad, and we can understand why you'd want to leave, but the truth is Rachel…we need you. Not just for your amazing talent, but for your personality and your amazing ideas."

"What he said." Mercedes added in, and Rachel burst into giggles.

"Of course I'll come back!" She snorted. "I was going to anyways." Everyone fell silent and Santana shot her a death glare.

"So we didn't even have to sing this shit song for you?"

"It was nice that you did…" Rachel ventured.

"Fuck this!" Santana exclaimed and stormed angrily out of the auditorium. After several moments of silence, Kurt spoke up.

"We're glad you're back, Rachel." He said earnestly. Rachel smiled and nodded her head.

"I'm glad I'm back, too." As if right on cue, they all jumped off the stage and wrapped her up in a giant hug.

It was great to be back.

-glee!-

Since Jesse hadn't dropped her off, Rachel drove herself home. She knew she and Jesse had plans, and she wondered what they could be. Lately, Jesse had been distancing himself from her, but he was keen on spending as much time with her as possible.

She left the school campus with Sam on her mind. It was Friday (thank goodness) and the weekend was approaching. It was given that she would be hanging out with Jesse, but part of her really wanted to hang out with Sam. He was an interesting guy and every time she lied to Jesse to get to know him better, she found her feelings for him growing. Several times he had tried to kiss her, but his attempts were always interrupted. Once, just once, Rachel wanted to feel what is like when he kissed her.

She continued driving in silence, which was very unusual for her. Usually she was blasting her Broadway music (normally from _West Side Story_), but today, she was too consumed in her thoughts. Part of her felt bad for thinking this, but she could tell that her relationship with Jesse was coming to an end. And to think he must have spent so much time, energy, and money trying to win her over! But Sam…he was something else entirely. While Jesse was just another boy, Sam was a force of nature.

Rachel shook her head, deciding now was not the time to be thinking like this. She pulled into her fathers' driveway and frowned at the sight of Jesse's car. With the frown still set on her face, she got out of the car and walked up the walkway, stopping in her tracks to see Jesse standing at the door. Had she forgotten something? Did they have plans? She saw Jesse shift nervously before he made his way closer to her.

"Rachel, I've got something to tell you." He said quietly.

"Okay." It was the only word Rachel could think of.

"Um…you see, I got a call from the dean. And I've kinda overstayed my visit." He was quiet for a long moment and Rachel wondered if she should say something. But he continued before she could make up her mind. "I have to go back to California." Another long pause.

"When?" Rachel asked quietly, gazing at her feet.

"Um…today." Jesse replied in a low voice. Rachel's head snapped up.

"Today?" She repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner." His gaze met hers and she could tell there was still something he wasn't saying. Then it hit her like a slushy in the morning.

"You're breaking up with me?" She squeaked.

"Not exactly…" Jesse sighed. "Look, this is hard for me, too. I didn't want to leave. I love you so much and me saying that you're all I've thought about since we broke up isn't a lie. I knew our time together would end, but I didn't expect it to be this soon." Jesse paused. "The dean will have my ass if I'm not back tomorrow."

"I thought you said today?"

"I have to start driving today."

"You mean you aren't flying?"

"Nah. Too much money." He flashed her an unsure smile.

"Well, what about a long-distance relationship?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"Is that what you really want?" His question took Rachel by surprise. She frowned and opened her mouth to answer, but closed it instead as she thought. She knew that the answer he was hoping for was 'yes! Of course!' followed by her throwing herself into his arms. But she bit her lip; it just didn't seem…right.

"No." She whispered. Jesse sighed and slowly nodded his head.

"I thought that might be your answer."

"Jesse, I'm so sorry. It's just…" She frowned, realizing she had no explanation. Seeming to get what she was trying to say, he nodded his head.

"Don't worry; I get it." He sighed. "I just wish it didn't have to end like this, you know? I feel like we needed more time…"

"More time would have been perfect." She wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight embrace. She was fighting the urge to cry. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you more."

"I'll miss you most." Rachel countered. Jesse chuckled and ruffled Rachel's hair.

"Maybe now you can fix things with Finn."

Rachel shook her head. "No. Finn and I are done. He's practically dating Quinn, even if she is using him for prom."

"Then maybe you can find someone new." Jesse ventured, eyes twinkling. "Whoever it is will definitely love you."

"For what?" She dared to ask. Jesse smiled and ran his fingers through her hair.

"For everything." He replied. After several moments of silence, he stepped away. "I've gotta get going now." She felt her eyes well up with tears.

"Goodbye, Jesse." She whispered.

"This isn't goodbye." He promised. "And this isn't a break up. It's an understanding; one day, I'll come back, and you and I can be together."

"I'd like that." Rachel smiled, wiping the stubborn tears from her eyes. She felt terrible for saying those words; she regret letting them out of her mouth, as she knew it wasn't true. Jesse chuckled and started down the walkway, pausing and turning back around. He walked up to Rachel and moved a loose strand of her hair behind her ears.

"One more kiss goodbye?" He asked quietly. Wordlessly, she nodded her head. And then their lips met for the final time. She could taste the remorse and the sadness of the kiss. She closed her eyes tightly and hoped to lose herself in his kiss. But…there wasn't a spark. It was just a kiss filled with sadness, loneliness, and regret. Jesse pulled away and it was only then, when he wiped his finger across one of her cheeks, did she realize she was crying. He flashed her a soft, apologetic yet hopeful smile before jogging to his car, starting the engine, and pulling out of the driveway. Then it disappeared down the road, never to be seen again.

She sniffled and trudged inside, suddenly feeling very alone in her spacious house. Her dads wouldn't be home till much later and now that Jesse was gone, she had absolutely no one to hang out with. She hadn't expected this to hurt so much, but it did. She began crying harder and through the midst of her tears, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number she knew by heart. On the third ring, the person answered.

"Yeah?" The voice answered. She hoped it would have a calming effect on her like it always had, but it only made her cry harder.

"I-I need you." Rachel blubbered in a quiet voice. "Jesse and I broke up and I need someone and…and you're the only one. Please…please come over." There was a short pause.

"I'll be over soon." Then, the person hung up and Rachel was left alone to suffer. Only then did she realize that maybe she had worsened the situation by calling this individual. And with this thought in mind, she only cried harder.

**Uh oh. So who did Rachel call? I'll give you a hint: it's either Quinn, Puck, Sam, or Finn. Did you like it? I really did. I don't know when I'll update this story again, but I hope it'll be soon. Next chapter: mysterious person comes to Rachel's aid, Rachel and Sam grow closer and when they get assigned to do a duet project together, her feelings for him are confirmed. Kurt tells Rachel that she should sing her feelings for Sam since she doesn't know how to communicate them, so she does. The results of this serenade? Unknown unless you read the next chapter! Please read my other stories, like my Facebook page, and REVIEW! PS: expect an update on 'In the End, It's Right' very soon XD.**


	8. Chapter 8: Falling in Love Again

**Hello, readers! I must say, I am very pleased with how wonderfully this story is turning out. I have it all planned out now, too. There will be fifteen chapters of this story before it is over. Just a quick heads-up, in case you haven't caught on already, this story is very AU. New Directions hasn't even participated in regionals in this story yet. So…can you give me your ideas and tell me what you want to happen in this regionals competition? I can put some Finchel in, but I'm planning for Samchel to last for the majority of the story. They're just so damn cute together XD! Haha. So, without further adue, I present to you…Chapter 8! This chapter is entitled 'Falling in Love all Over Again'.**

Oh wait! I almost forgot to give you 'the key' so you'll be able to understand certain parts of this chapter XD.

_Regular italics in both songs and note passing is Rachel talking and singing._

**_Bold and italics in songs are Sam and Rachel together._**

**_Bold and italics in note passing is Sam talking._**

**Regular bold in note passing is Finn talking.**

_Italics and underlined is Sam singing._

There you go! Hope that made things a little easier XP.

The doorbell rang and Rachel's head snapped up. She sniffled and trudged towards the door. Her hand lingered over the doorknob as she debated whether or not she should open it. She didn't expect this 'break up' to hurt so much. It was like her heart was breaking all over again. But now she was upset with herself for letting her guard down. Her emotions clouded her sense of reasoning and left her weak and vulnerable. She had sent out a call to the last person she wanted to see. But Rachel knew it was rude of her to keep him shut outside of her house. She sighed and wiped away the tears before reluctantly opening the door.

Finn charged inside and grabbed her shoulders. "Rachel! Damn it, are you okay? What's wrong? What happened?" Rachel shrugged herself out of his grip and turned away, feeling tears once again roll down her cheeks.

"Nothing's wrong and nothing happened." She answered glumly.

"Yeah, right. You wouldn't have called me like that had something not have happened!" He shouted. Rachel flinched and glanced at the floor. "Wait…did Jesse do this to you?"

"Jesse didn't do anything to me!" Rachel exclaimed, her voice shaking with both anger and sadness.

"He did." Finn growled. "God, when I see him I'll beat the shit out of him!"

"Finn, we broke up. It's nothing, okay?" Rachel sniffled, wiping her eyes. The anger in his eyes died and was instead replaced with sympathy. He wrapped Rachel up in a tight embrace.

"It'll be okay. Everything will be okay." Finn said soothingly.

"I know." Rachel mumbled.

"Then why are you still crying?" Finn asked confusedly.

"I shouldn't have called you over here." Rachel said softly, pulling herself out of Finn's embrace and starting towards her room.

"What are you talking about? I'm here to help you, Rach." He winced as Rachel flashed him a warning glare. He knew that it bothered her now that they were broken up when he called her by his old nickname for her.

"I don't need your help." Rachel hissed. "You shouldn't be the one here."

"Really?" Finn snorted. "Then enlighten me; who should be here in my place? Who else would have rushed away from everything they were doing just to comfort you?" Rachel glanced down at her feet and crossed her arms.

"Sam." She whispered. Finn frowned.

"Sam? Are you kidding me? You want _**Sam**_ here over me?"

"You don't get a say in who I want or don't want to comfort me!" Rachel retorted.

"Why Sam? He broke Quinn's heart!"

"And you didn't break mine?" Rachel retorted, her eyes burning straight through Finn. "Besides, Quinn broke his heart first. She was the one who cheated on Sam."

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" Finn growled. Rachel's eyes widened and he instantly regretted saying it.

"You need to leave, Finn." Rachel said quietly, her eyes not meeting his.

"Rachel, I'm sorry…" His voice trailed off as he saw tears rolling down her cheeks again. Shit; he hated seeing girls cry. But it hurt even worse when he saw Rachel crying. Somehow, her tears made Finn want to cry, too.

"I shouldn't have called you. I'm sorry for disturbing you." Rachel said, ignoring Finn's apology. She started towards the front door, but Finn grabbed her arm and before she could do anything else, he kissed her.

The moment her lips met his, Finn realized that he saw more then fireworks when he kissed her. He saw stars. And stars were better… because they burned on forever and ever. Rachel, however, was completely caught off –guard. Her lips remained frozen against his, but she soon found herself melting into his kiss. Her alleged feelings for Sam were forgotten as she kissed Finn. God, it was like old times. Except…she didn't see fireworks this time. She didn't see anything. She frowned and pulled away. She used to see fireworks all the time when she kissed Finn.

"Rachel, I saw them." Finn whispered. "I saw fireworks." She glanced up at him, her eyes filled with tears.

"I didn't."

-glee!-

Finn left soon after she uttered those two words. He warned her once again of how Sam would break her heart and she argued once more that he couldn't decide who she liked or didn't like. Now she was lying on her bed, begging for the rest of the day to go by so she could go to school and see Sam again. She needed to be able to decide if she truly did have feelings for him.

Being kissed by Finn had done nothing but muddle up her feelings even more. She knew that hidden deep within her heart, she still had lingering feelings for Finn that she couldn't escape. Part of her would always love him no matter what. He was her first real boyfriend, besides Jesse. Wasn't it normal to feel this way about your first love?

But she knew she would have to move on. And she had…at least, she thought she had. Rachel was sure she had feelings for Sam. He was funny, smart, insanely cute, and very talented.

Rachel sat up, frowning. She had first determined her feelings for Finn after performing with him. One of the things Rachel was desperately searching for in a guy was musical chemistry. It was what drew her to both Jesse and Finn. In order to determine if her feelings for Sam were real, she would need to see if she had any musical chemistry with him.

That wouldn't be too hard; she was almost sure that Sam would jump at the opportunity to sing with her. After all, Rachel was the star of New Directions. Singing with Rachel would make him a soloist at regionals and make Finn a background singer. Not that she wanted Finn to be put in the background…he did have talent. She just wanted Sam to be able to sing with her. Besides, he had definitely shown some lead singer potential at sectionals when he sang his duet with Quinn.

So it was settled. Tomorrow at school, Rachel would find a way to test her musical chemistry with Sam Evans.

And then, she could determine whether or not her feelings were real.

-glee!-

"All right, guys, it's been brought to my attention by Rachel that we're growing apart. And we all know that for regionals we need to be closer then ever." Mr. Schuester grabbed his dry erase marker and wrote the word 'duets' on the board. "So we're going to do duets again." While some students' faces lit up, others groaned at the announcement.

"We already did duets, Mr. Schue." Quinn complained.

"This time, to ensure that you all grow closer, I'm going to let the fates decide your partners again." Mr. Schuester announced. He glanced around the room quickly to see if anyone was absent. "Where's Puck?"

"Skipping." Lauren answered with a shrug. "He'll be back tomorrow." A look of relief came over Mr. Schuester's face.

"Okay, Lauren, you choose first." Lauren sighed and pulled a piece of paper from the hat.

"Finn." She frowned as Finn winced. "I'm not down with this, Mr. Schue."

"No complaining or exchanging partners." Mr. Schuester warned. Santana came up next and pulled a piece of paper from the hat. She read it and frowned.

"Quinn." Both cheerleaders winced but didn't say anything else. Brittany went next and got Mercedes, Artie got Kurt, and Tina got Puck.

"Mr. Schuester, there are only two papers left in the at, but whoever I don't get will be without a partner." Mike announced when he got up to the front of the room.

"I guess I'll have to put my name into the hat." Mr. Schuester said reluctantly. He scribbled his name on the piece of paper and tossed it into the hat. He tossed the pieces of paper around and handed it back to Mike. Rachel held her breath and closed her eyes. If Mike ended up with Mr. Schuester, then Rachel would be left partnered with Sam. She wondered if maybe she should take this into consideration. If the fates decided that Rachel and Sam should be duet partners, then maybe they were meant to be together.

"Mr. Schuester." Mike said. Rachel let out her breath and grinned, standing up.

"Well, that leaves me and Sam." She announced eagerly, flashing Sam a wide smile. He grinned back at her but remained seated.

"Someone seems a bit jumpy." Mercedes grumbled, flashing Brittany an uncertain gaze. The blond was sitting on Artie's lap staring directly at Mercedes with a confused look in her eyes.

"I just want our duet to be the best, which I know it will." Rachel lifted her chin proudly and placed her hands on her hips. "Mr. Schuester, can Sam and I use the auditorium to practice?"

"Um…sure…" Mr. Schuester frowned and watched as Rachel smiled flirtatiously and waved Sam after her. Seeming to be in a trance, Sam got to his feet and followed Rachel out of the room eagerly.

"What's up with them?" Tina whispered.

"They're two lost souls on a post-broken heart love high." Santana answered, glaring after Sam and Rachel. Both Quinn and Finn's heads snapped up. Quinn crossed her arms and glared at the door while Finn's jaw tightened.

"All right, everyone, get to work!" Mr. Schuester exclaimed.

Everyone started to collaborate with their partners, but while Finn and Quinn consulted with their partners, they could only think of what Sam and Rachel were doing in the auditorium.

-glee!-

"So…what do you want to do?" Sam asked, leaning against the piano. Rachel shrugged, flashing him an adorable half-smile.

"I'm not so sure. I was wondering if you had anything in mind." Rachel answered honestly. Sam shrugged and Rachel giggled.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." Rachel waved it off and flashed Sam the same adorable smile as she climbed onto the stage and stood next to him. "I think we should find popular singers or bands and find a song that others haven't heard."

"Sounds cool." Sam nodded his head. "Don't forget that I can play the guitar."

"I didn't." Rachel said softly. "What song would you call your favorite?"

"Um…I don't know…there are a few…" Sam's voice trailed off. "How about you?"

"I have a few favorites, too. Let's narrow it down to our top two favorite duets and choose from there." Rachel suggested.

"Okay." The two were quiet for a long minute. While they remained silent in thought, Rachel began studying Sam over once again. He was so physically fit. No wonder Finn had been jealous when they were doing Rocky Horror. God, and to think if they had gone through with the idea, she would have gotten to kiss him and allegedly sleep with him. The thought made her shudder. His hair was so light it reminded Rachel of the sun. His eyes were a pretty green color and his height was perfect for Rachel. She wouldn't have to stand on her tiptoes just to kiss him and he wouldn't have to bend that far down to hug her.

"I thought of one." Sam announced. Rachel shook herself out of trance and nodded her head, grinning.

"Tell me."

"Well, there are a few popular bands or singers that I like that have songs that aren't really considered hits." Sam began.

"Like who?" Rachel asked.

"Um…wow, I just totally lost my train of thought…" Sam's voice trailed off and his gaze dropped to Rachel's lips. She blushed and glanced at the floor. Sam smiled; he was glad he had been paired with Rachel. She was seriously talented, and he had wanted to sing with her since he first joined glee club. Now he had feelings for her and he was almost positive she had feelings for him. They could come up with an amazing duet together.

"The All-American Rejects." Rachel's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Huh?" He shook his head and met her eyes. She giggled and flashed him a coy smile before pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"They're one of my favorite bands. I sang their song _Gives You Hell_ when Finn first broke up with me. You should have seen the look on his face." Rachel grinned widely and Sam chuckled.

"Yeah, they're cool. Do you have any other song in mind by them?"

"Not really. Maybe we could hang out after school and choose a song together." Rachel suggested hopefully.

"Sure, that would be great." Sam's heart began racing. "Why don't you come over to my house?" Rachel blushed and nodded her head.

"Okay. I'll text my dads to let them know I'll be home later." She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text before closing it and returning it to her pocket. "There. I'll ride home with you and we'll work on our duet together."

"It's a date." Sam winked at her and she giggled.

"Totally." She agreed. There was silence for a long moment before Sam spoke up again.

"Rachel, can I ask you something?" Sam asked quietly.

"Anything." She said softly, her heart beating quicker in her chest.

"Did you and Jesse really break up?" He asked. Rachel's gaze fell to the floor and she shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah." She said softly. "He had to go back to California and he said that keeping a long-distance relationship would be too much for him to handle. So we broke up instead." She was surprised to feel his arms around her in the next minute as he brought her body close to his. She melted into his embrace and inhaled his scent.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. Sam closed his eyes and kept Rachel wrapped in his arms for a moment longer before releasing her. He was pleased to see that she hadn't wanted him to let go, but he knew that he would end up doing something that would reveal his feelings for her had held her a moment longer. And while he knew that wouldn't have been so bad, he didn't want to push Rachel farther then she wanted to be pushed.

"It's okay." She flashed him a sad smile before frowning. "Wait…how did you know? There was only one other person that knew…" Sam glanced at the floor.

"Finn was talking about it in the locker room when we changing after football practice this morning. He told us that you and Jesse had broken up and that you were a mess yesterday. He said you had called him over and when he came, you said that you shouldn't have called him." Sam explained.

"Yeah. It was a mistake calling him over. I wasn't thinking clearly." Rachel said quietly, her gaze dropping to the floor.

"He said he kissed you." Sam continued, his voice tightening. Rachel stiffened and she nodded her head.

"Yes. He kissed me and then he claimed that he had seen fireworks when he kissed me this time." Rachel whispered.

"And you said you didn't." Sam concluded.

"He told you guys that much?" Rachel asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah. He said that he thought he was finally over you. He's dating Quinn now." Sam shrugged his shoulders. "But he said the weirdest thing to me when he was leaving."

"What?" Rachel asked curiously.

"He told me that he hoped things worked out between you and me, even though I didn't deserve you." Sam frowned. "Does he think we're dating?"

"I-I don't know." Rachel stammered. "I don't know where he would be getting that idea. This is the first time in about a month or so that I've been single."

"He's jealous because of how much we hang out and talk." Sam guessed.

"Finn does get jealous very easily. You should have seen him last year when Jesse and I first started dating. It was quite funny watching him glare at Jesse and threaten to kick his ass." Rachel smiled and Sam chuckled.

"It does sound just like him." He smiled. "Do you still like him?" Rachel blinked, shocked at the question. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. I like someone else right now." Rachel smiled coyly before jumping away from Sam. "Let's get back to work." They started talking about their duet again, but the whole time they were talking and flirting, Sam couldn't help but wonder if this new person she liked was Sam himself.

-glee!-

"Sammy brought home his girlfriend!" Sam's little sister, Stacy, cried. Rachel laughed and blushed as Sam picked her up and threw her on the couch.

"What was that, Stacy?" He growled jokingly. Stacy shrieked with laughter and pointed at Rachel.

"She's very pretty, Sammy. You have a pretty girlfriend." Stacy giggled. Rachel's cheeks turned even redder as Sam stood up and met Rachel's gaze.

"You're right, Stacy, she is very pretty. But she isn't my girlfriend. We're just friends." Sam winked at Rachel and her gaze dropped to the floor. Sam thought she was pretty! She glanced back up at stared at Sam shyly.

"Is she a good singer like you, Sammy?" Stacy asked.

"Even better." Sam said, grinning at Rachel.

"I wouldn't go that far…" Rachel began quietly. Sam was at her side in the next minute.

"What's that, Rachel? I couldn't quite hear you. Were you saying that you aren't the best out of everyone in the glee club? What a shocker!" Sam exclaimed mockingly. Rachel blushed and shoved him away. Stacy giggled and ran up to Rachel.

"Sammy likes you." Stacy whispered.

"Okay, Stacy, that's enough. Rachel and I are going into my room to practice a song we have to do for glee club. Tell Mom where we are when she gets home with your brother." Sam instructed seriously. Stacy grinned and nodded her head.

"Okay." Stacy said before skipping back over to the TV. Rachel smiled and followed Sam to his room.

"Your sister is adorable." Rachel said, smiling.

"Yeah, when she's not bothering me." Sam chuckled. "She likes you already."

"I'm glad I won her approval." She paused. "Do you really think I'm pretty?" Sam paused and turned to face her, his gaze growing soft and serious.

"Of course. I think you're one of the prettiest girls at McKinley." Sam said. Rachel blushed and glanced at the floor.

"Thank you." She smiled. "I came up with a duet idea!"

"Besides The All-American Rejects?" Sam asked jokingly.

"I don't think we should do them, only because the glee kids would be comparing this performance to my rendition of _Gives You Hell_." Rachel decided.

"Of course, because nothing can compare to a solo performed by Rachel Berry." Sam said.

"Was that sarcasm?" Rachel raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, I was being serious." Sam's gaze softened and he hesitantly held one of her hands in his. They were soft and tiny… "You literally have the voice of an angel. Nothing can compare to a solo sung by you."

"Not even a duet with you?" Rachel asked quietly, her eyes meeting his gaze.

"Especially not a duet with me." Sam responded softly, dropping her hand. Rachel snorted and shoved Sam, a playful gleam entering her eyes.

"Stop being so hard on yourself! You're amazing, Sam. You have some serious talent. You sang a solo at sectionals!" Rachel exclaimed. Sam shrugged.

"It wouldn't have been as good as anything you would've done."

"Not true!" Rachel exclaimed indignantly, shoving Sam again. Sam grinned at her and shoved her back. She squealed and playfully hit him on the shoulder.

"You're adorable." Sam said quietly, pressing his forehead to hers. Rachel's breath caught in her throat and she closed her eyes.

"Kiss me." She breathed. Sam's eyes widened.

"What?" He hoped he wasn't hearing things. He wanted to kiss Rachel so bad.

"Sam! We're home! Stacy says you have a girl with you?" It was his mom. Rachel jumped away from Sam, her cheeks turning red as she landed on his bed. Sam chuckled and went to help her up when his mom opened the door. She frowned at the two of them, and Sam realized how bad this must look to her. Rachel was lying down on the bed, her hair a mess and her cheeks flushed red with Sam hovering over her. He blushed and sighed, stepping away from Rachel and the bed.

"It's not what it looks like." He mumbled. Sam's mom nodded her head slowly before turning to Rachel.

"Hi, I'm Sam's mom Jessica. And you are…?"

"Rachel." Rachel answered quietly, her cheeks turning redder.

"Nice to meet you, Rachel. Now, please enlighten me and tell me what you two were doing." Jessica said, folding her arms over her chest and eyeing the two of them suspiciously.

"Mom…" Sam growled.

"I came over to rehearse a duet with Sam for glee club. But I tripped and fell and he was jus trying to help me up." Rachel explained before Sam could continue. Jessica raised an eyebrow and stood her ground. "Honestly, Mrs. Evans; I have a boyfriend." This made Jessica relax and she smiled.

"I believe you. Well, it was nice meeting you." Jessica left the room and closed the door behind her.

"Nice save, with the boyfriend thing." Sam whispered. Rachel nodded her head, her cheeks still red. Even though he wanted to so bad, Sam decided now was not the best time to ask her if she had really asked him to kiss her.

"So the duet I came up with is called _Terrified_ by Katherine McPhee." Rachel announced, pulling out a copy of sheet music from her backpack and handing it Sam. "Plus, you can play your guitar when we sing it." Sam read over the lyrics and glanced back up at her.

"Sounds cool, but why did you pick this song…?" He asked quizzically. Rachel blushed and turned away.

"I don't know; it just reminded me of you when I heard it today." She mumbled. Sam grinned.

"Sounds great. I'll find the chords and we'll practice after school." Sam suggested.

"Okay!" Rachel exclaimed eagerly. "Can we…practice a little now?"

"Sure." Sam smiled and picked up his guitar. "You know, I think I may have heard this song before. Does it go like this…?" He played a few of the chords on his guitar and Rachel nodded her head eagerly.

"Yes, that's it!" She exclaimed.

"I'll play along the best I can, but it might sound a bit rough."

"That's okay." Rachel smiled. "I think it's fascinating that you can play the guitar so well."

"Yeah. I've gotten to the point where I can sound songs out just by listening to them." He motioned to the copy of sheet music. "Like this song, for example." Rachel blushed.

"I'll start, okay?" She said quietly.

"Okay." Sam breathed. He began playing, messing up a few times, but Rachel paid no attention to it as she took a deep breath and began singing.

_You, by the light, is the greatest find in the world.  
For all the wrong, you're the thing that is right._

_Finally made through the lonely to the other side!_

Sam almost forgot to join in on the chorus. He had been so mesmerized by how amazing Rachel's voice sounded and how hot she looked when she was singing. But the moment he joined in, a spark flew between the two of them. They most definitely had musical chemistry.

_**You said it again, my heart's in motion.**_

_**Every word is like a shooting star.**_

_**I'm at the edge of my emotions.**_

_**Watching the shadows burn in the dark.**_

_**And I'm in love!**_

_**And I am terrified!**_

_**For the first and the last time in my only life.**_

Rachel nodded at Sam, signaling for him to take the next verse. Her voice had matched with his perfectly. She grinned inwardly and felt her heart race as he began.

_And this could be good; it's already better then that._

_And nothing is worse then knowing you're holding back._

_I could be all that you needed if you let me try!_

_**You said it again, my heart's in motion.**_

_**Every word is like a shooting star.**_

_**I'm at the edge of my emotions.**_

_**Watching the shadows burn in the dark.**_

_**And I'm in love!**_

_**And I am terrified!**_

_**For the first and the last time in my only…**_

They began alternating lines, starting with Rachel and then going to Sam. Singing had become second-nature to them as Rachel stood up and made her way over to Sam. They were both way too distracted by the other person's presence.

_I only said it 'cause I mean it._

_I only mean it 'cause it's true._

_So don't you tell what I've been dreaming,_

'_**Cause it fills me up, and holds me close,**_

_**Whenever I'm without you.**_

_**You said it again, my heart's in motion.**_

_**Every word feels like a shooting star.**_

_**Watching the shadows burn in the dark.**_

_**And I'm in love!**_

_**And I am terrified!**_

_**For the first and the last time in my only life.**_

_**Life! Life! **_

_**In my only life. **_

They finished together and met each other's gazes, breathless. Rachel nodded her head, her heart still racing.

"That was perfect."

"Definitely." Sam agreed.

It was obvious; Rachel Berry had feelings for Sam Evans.

Only one problem: how would she tell him?

-glee!-

"You _**told**_ him to kiss you?" Kurt asked, frowning. "That right there is a crime in itself. If he wanted to kiss you, he would have."

"He seemed nervous, so I decided to put him at ease and let him know that I wanted him to kiss me." Rachel protested.

"The whole point of a first kiss between a couple is the surprise of it all. You think I expected Dave to kiss me?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but you didn't enjoy the kiss." Rachel pointed out smugly.

"True, but the surprise of a first kiss is the whole point of it all." Kurt responded. "But tell me…did you really want him to kiss you?" Rachel smiled and let her mind drift to the day before. She hated how what she told Sam's mom was the truth; she wanted so badly for something to have happened between them.

"Yes, I wanted him to." Rachel breathed dreamily. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I knew something was up between you two. I could tell just by your reaction when you first found out you were going to be partnered with him for the duet assignment." Kurt said. "Do you want to be with him?"

"Like, dating him?"

"Of course."

"I'm not so sure…I really like him. I definitely have feelings for him, and I'm almost sure he feels the same for me. But I don't want to tell him how I feel until I am certain he has feelings for me as well." Rachel answered.

"Oh, he does, trust me." Kurt said, his eyes twinkling.

"Really? How do you know?" Rachel asked.

"A little birdie told me." Kurt winked at her and smiled. "So now that you know he has feelings for you too, what are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know how to tell him I feel the same way." Rachel admitted.

"How did you tell Finn you liked him?"

"I didn't; we just kissed."

"How did you tell Jesse?"

"We sang together."

"Now there's an idea!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"Find a song and sing it for Sam. Let your voice tell him how you feel." Kurt suggested. Rachel's eyes lit up and her smile grew wider.

"That's it! Thank you, Kurt!" She cried.

"What song are you going to sing?" Kurt asked eagerly. Rachel smiled slyly and flipped her hair.

"The perfect song."

-glee!-

In history, the only class she had with Sam besides glee, she passed notes with both Finn and Sam. She started her conversation with Sam while Finn started a conversation with Rachel.

**Hey.** Rachel frowned and glanced up at Finn and watched as he nodded his head. She rolled her eyes and quickly scribbled back a reply.

_What?_ Finn only passed notes with her if he wanted something. She threw the paper in his direction, hoping the teacher hadn't caught her and jumped as another paper flew in her direction. She smiled and opened it up.

_**Can I just say that you look really pretty right now?**_Sam had written. Rachel blushed and took her time writing a reply.

_Aw, Sam, you're such a sweetheart! _She folded it back up and tossed it in his direction just as Finn tossed his note back to her.

**Are you passing notes with Sam?**

_Why does it matter to you if I am?_ Rachel wrote back, tossing the note in his direction. She heard Sam chuckle on the other side of the room. In the next moment, his paper landed on her desk. Seconds later, Finn's paper landed on her desk, too. But Rachel decided to read Sam's reply first.

_**I seriously mean it. Quick question: are you passing notes with Finn, too?**_ Rachel rolled her eyes and replied.

_Why does it matter to you if I am? And thank you XP._ She tossed the paper back to him and opened up Finn's note.

**What is he saying?**

_Ask him yourself if you're that curious._ Rachel tossed the note back to Finn and groaned as Sam tossed his note back to her.

"Ms. Berry, are you paying attention?" Mr. Robin, the history teacher, asked. Rachel sat up and nodded her head.

"Yes, Mr. Robin." Rachel answered meekly. Both Finn and Sam chuckled as Mr. Robin eyed her suspiciously but nodded his head. Rachel let out a relieved sigh before turning around and glaring at Sam. He winked at her and she felt her glare disappear. She opened up his note and giggled as she read what he wrote.

_**I don't want to be sharing you.**_

_Why?_ She wrote back before tossing the paper in Sam's direction. Finn's note landed on her desk and she opened it up.

**Why do you like him?**

_He's sweet, genuine, insanely cute, and smart. And he's very talented._ She replied before tossing the note to him.

"Ms. Berry, did I just catch you throwing paper at Mr. Hudson?" Mr. Robin asked. Rachel blushed and glared at her desk as Sam and Finn began laughing uncontrollably. Mr. Robin glared at all three of them before letting out an annoyed sigh. "I'll see all three of you after class, Ms. Berry, Mr. Hudson, and Mr. Evans." Sam groaned and Rachel giggled before returning her gaze to her textbook. Sam's note landed on her desk. Her heart began racing as she opened it up.

_**I'm not sure. I just want you all to myself.**_

_Not a good enough answer, Mr. Evans._ Rachel tossed the note back to him just as Finn's landed on her desk.

**Weren't those the same reasons you liked me?**

_Kinda._ She threw the note back at him. He threw it back moments later.

**What's the difference, then? Why won't you take me back?**

_First off, you're dating Quinn now. You claimed to be over me, anyways. And I'm not sure if I want to try being a couple with you because of what's happened before._ She threw the note back at him and glanced back at Sam, wondering why he hadn't replied yet just as he threw the note back.

_**And what would you consider a good enough answer, Ms. Berry?**_

_What would you consider a good enough answer?_ Rachel wrote before throwing the note back at Sam. Finn's note landed on her desk moments later.

**I lied. And I don't want to be dating Quinn; I'd much rather be dating you.**

_You should have realized that earlier when I was still in love with you._ Rachel threw the note back at him and received it again moments later.

**Are you saying you're in love with Sam?**

_No. I'm saying that I'm over you and I like Sam._ She threw the note back at him and jumped as Sam's note landed on her desk.

_**I asked you first, therefore you must answer me before I answer you.**_

_Not so. I asked you last, therefore meaning you must answer to me first._ Rachel smiled slyly and tossed the note back to Sam. Moments later, it landed on her desk again.

_**How does that work? You must be confused, cutie.**_ She giggled and turned back to face Sam, rolling her eyes. He winked at her and she blushed and returned her attention back to the note, where she quickly scribbled back a reply.

_Not in the least. It is you who is confused, blondie. _She threw the note back to him. Moments later, Finn's note landed on her desk.

**Are you two dating?**

_No, not yet. But I have a feeling that we might be dating soon…_She smiled and tossed the note back to Finn. He threw it back moments later.

**You sure get over guys fast.**

_What's that supposed to mean?_ She wrote before throwing it back at Finn. In the middle of her response, Sam's note landed on her desk. She opened it up and smiled.

_**I wasn't confused before, but now I am.**_

_Same here._ She tossed the note back onto his desk just as Finn's note landed on her desk.

**You only just broke up with Jesse, and now you're ready to jump at the chance to be with Sam. I'm just saying that you get over guys fast.** Rachel clenched her hands into fists before scribbling a reply.

_You don't get to say anything regarding the speed at which I move on anymore. Just drop it, Finn. _She threw the note back at him just as the bell rang. Rachel let out a sigh of relief and gathered her belongings.

"Ms. Berry, I need to see you, Mr. Hudson, and Mr. Evans, please." Mr. Robin called. Rachel groaned and reluctantly made her way up to the front of the room and stood in between Finn and Sam. The two shot each other a warning look and took a step closer to Rachel as if trying to challenge one another. Rachel rolled her eyes; the sooner they were done with this talk, the sooner they could go to glee and Rachel could finally sing the song she had planned on singing to show Sam she did have feelings for him.

"Yes, Mr. Robin?" Rachel asked innocently.

"What was with you throwing paper at these two boys?" Mr. Robin asked. Sam snorted and looked away. Rachel bit her lip to keep from laughing before meeting Mr. Robin's eye.

"They were bothering me, so I hoped to get them to stop by throwing paper at them. I wasn't thinking at the time; I promise to next time find a more convenient way to get them to shut up." Rachel smiled sweetly as Mr. Robin slowly nodded his head.

"Okay. Boys, please leave Ms. Berry alone to do her work." Mr. Robin instructed sternly. The late bell rang and Mr. Robin grabbed his Post-It notes. "Do you all need passes?"

"We're all going to the same place." Sam said smoothly. "Glee club."

"Ah, yes. I heard your regional competition is coming up." Mr. Robin said as he began writing a hall pass.

"Yeah." Finn smiled crookedly.

"Mr. Hudson, you have to stay behind to make up that test you missed when you were absent." Mr. Robin informed him. "Mr. Evans and Ms. Berry, you may go." He handed them their pass and sent them on their way. Rachel and Sam walked out of the classroom in a cool and collective manner, but as soon as the door behind them closed, they burst into laughter.

"That was the best excuse ever!" Sam exclaimed. "You were perfect! You managed to keep a straight face the whole time!"

"Many years of acting experience." Rachel grinned coyly as they slowly started down the hallway. "You don't think Mr. Robin will move you now, do you?"

"Nah, I'm sure if I keep quiet and don't distract you from your work, I can stay where I am." Sam winked at her and Rachel playfully shoved her. They continued down the hallway quietly before Sam came to an abrupt stop, grabbing Rachel by the hand. She spun around and frowned confusedly.

"What is it?" She breathed as Sam took a few steps closer to her.

"There's been something I've been wanting to do for a while now." Sam whispered. Hesitantly, he brushed a strand of hair from her face and pressed his forehead to hers like he had that one day in his room. Her breath caught in her throat and she closed her eyes, heart racing. Sam's own heart began to race as well. His lips were only inches from hers when a voice sounded from behind them.

"Sam! Rachel!" Both of them spun around and let out a sigh of relief when they saw Mr. Schuester.

"Mr. Schue—" Rachel began.

"What are you two doing?" He demanded. Quickly, Sam showed him the pass.

"Sorry; we got held back in history." Sam said apologetically.

"What about Finn?" Mr. Schuester called.

"He's gotta make up a test." Rachel replied.

"Well, hurry up. I've got to run a quick errand and then I'll be back. Are you two ready to perform your duet?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"Sure." Sam smiled. "We're more then ready." The two of them reluctantly walked into the choir room and took a seat next to each other. They watched Mr. Schuester leave. Almost as soon as he left, Tina sat on Mike's lap and the two began making out. Everyone shielded their eyes and groaned. Rachel smiled and leapt to her feet, realizing that now was the perfect time to sing her song.

"Everyone!" Rachel clapped her hands to get their attention. "I've prepared a little something to sing for all of you. But there's one person in particular that I'm singing for. See if you can guess who." Rachel winked and placed her copy of the sheet music on the piano for the pianist to play. He began playing and Rachel closed her eyes, preparing herself for one of the biggest moments of the year. Then she opened her eyes and met Sam's gaze and began to sing.

_Closed off from love, I didn't need the pain._

_Once or twice was enough and it was all in vain._

_Time starts to pass, before you know it, you're frozen!_

_But something happened for the very first time with you._

_My heart melted to the ground; found something true._

_And everyone's looking 'round thinking I'm going crazy!_

_But I don't care what they say!_

_I'm in love with you!_

_They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth!_

_My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing…_

"Is she singing about Finn?" Brittany whispered. Mercedes shook her head and studied Rachel closely, but Rachel was too busy staring at Sam as she began the chorus.

_You cut me open and I keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding out love._

_I keep bleeding, keep, I keep bleeding out love. _

_Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding out love._

_You cut me open…_

"Is she singing about trouty mouth?" Santana asked quietly, glaring at Sam. Ignoring the comment, Rachel shyly made her way over to Sam's chair as she continued into the second verse.

_Trying hard not to hear, but they talk so loud._

_Their piercing fill my ears try to fill me with doubt._

_Yet I know that the goal is to keep me from falling!_

_But nothing's greater then rush that comes with your embrace._

_And in this world of loneliness, I see your face!_

_Yet everyone around me thinks that I'm going crazy!_

_Maybe, maybe…_

_But I don't care what they say!_

_I'm in love with you!_

_They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth!_

_My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing…_

_You cut me open and I keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding out love._

_I keep bleeding, keep, I keep bleeding out love. _

_Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding out love._

_You cut me open…_

"Holy shit, Rachel's singing about Sam!" Artie whispered, eyes widening as Rachel began to circle Sam's chair.

"She's fallen for Sam!" Puck whispered. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, she met Kurt's gaze for support. He was the only one who about Rachel's plan to sing her feelings for Sam. He flashed her a reassuring smile and Rachel was suddenly put at ease as she continued.

_And it's draining all of me._

_Oh, they find it hard to believe!_

_I'll be wearing these scars for everyone to see!_

_I don't care what they say;_

_I'm in love with you._

_They try to pull me away, but they don't know they truth._

_My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing._

_Ooh you cut me open and I keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding out love._

_I keep bleeding, keep, I keep bleeding out love. _

_Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding out love._

_You cut me open and I keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding out love._

_I keep bleeding, keep, I keep bleeding out love. _

_Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding out love._

_Ooh, you cut me open _

_And I keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding out love…_

She finished perfectly but found herself out of breath. Although she had sung this song before at a middle school recital, she had forgotten how difficult it was. Especially now that she was singing it for someone she really cared about. She met Sam's gaze expectantly and ignored the whispers that circled around the room. Without a word, Sam stood up and slowly made his way over to Rachel. Now curious to see what he would do, everyone fell silent. Rachel held her breath, heart racing in her chest. What if Sam didn't have feelings for her? What if she had made a fool out of herself? What if-?

She never got to finish her thought, for in the next moment, Sam cupped her face in his hands and placed the sweetest kiss she had ever tasted on her lips. Everyone let out shocked gasps as Rachel melted into the kiss and moved her lips in rhythm with his. She had finally gotten the kiss she had been waiting to get for so long. When he finally pulled away, she was only able to utter one word.

"Fireworks."

**So, what did you think of this chapter? It was most definitely the longest one I've ever written in the history of any story I've written. I enjoyed writing it a lot. So, up top I mentioned the plan for this story. There will be fifteen chapters and then it will be done. As mentioned above, I would like your ideas for how regionals should go in this story. I want to continue the original songs streak, but from what I'm planning, I don't think it would be appropriate for Rachel to sing 'Get it Right'. So…if any of you can write songs (because I sure as hell can't!), please send me an idea and I'll pay you back with whatever you want (story-wise, I mean). There are so very funny chapters up ahead filled with Samchel love and Finchel love. Well, I think that's it! Please send me messages or leave reviews with your ideas! I really need your opinions! All right, now I'm done. Read my other stories (expect an update on 'How Does it Feel' by the end of next week), like my Facebook page, and REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9: Boiler Room

**This is just my week of updates! Yay! So happy I could finally update my stories! It's about time XD. I won't take your time up here; just make sure to read the note at the bottom. This chapter is entitled 'Boiler Room'. I stole the idea from an amazing TV show called 'My So-Called Life'.**

When Rachel walked down the hallway the day after she shared a kiss with Sam, she felt everyone looking at her. Whispers were passed between people as they all watched Rachel walk over to her locker. Rachel's heart began to race as she opened her locker door. She could still feel everyone's eyes on her. Even though she wanted to be the center of attention at McKinley, she never was. She was only the center of attention in glee. But now…she really didn't like the way people were staring at her. Curiousity and wariness filled their gazes as she walked away from her locker door.

Before she had a chance to duck into the girls' bathroom and hide out, she felt a finger tap her shoulder. Bracing herself for yet another slushy, Rachel spun around only to see Sam standing behind her. Her heart melted and she felt the sudden urge to cup his face in her hands and kiss him. But they weren't exactly a couple. Sam had told her through texts the previous night that he was still in the process of finding the best way to ask to be her boyfriend, which she thought was very sweet.

"Hi." He said quietly.

"Hi." She whispered back. Shocked murmurs filled the McKinley High hallways as they watched Sam brush a strand of loose hair from Rachel's face. She shuddered at the feel of his hand on her face. He let his fingers twirl in her hair for a moment before releasing his grip and offering her his hand. Her heart practically leaping out of her chest, Rachel slid her fingers in between his and walked through the hallways with her head raised confidently.

-glee!-

"Did you hear?" Brittany whispered.

"I know." Santana hissed. "Coach Sylvester is going to love this. Not sure how she'll manage to destroy glee with this news, but knowing her, she'll find a way." Quinn frowned and turned around to see her only two real best friends quietly gossiping behind her.

"She's the ugliest person here and yet she gets all the good guys." Santana complained with a flip over her ponytail.

"What are you guys talking about?" Quinn asked.

"The newest piece of gossip on the rumor mill." Brittany answered, her eyes twinkling.

"And that would be…?"

"You don't know?" Brittany gasped.

"She wasn't in glee yesterday…" Santana reminded Brittany.

"Ohh…" Brittany's voice trailed off. Quinn tapped her foot impatiently. True, she hadn't been at school the day before, but only because she had to finish an English report. She was lucky to have honed such good acting skills; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to convince her mom that she had a fever and would have had to face the consequences of turning in an incomplete project that would have lowered her grade and in turn put her in a very bad place with her mother.

"What happened in glee yesterday?" She asked impatiently.

"You'll hear about it." Santana smirked.

"Yeah. It's all over school, thanks to us." Brittany chimed in.

"I don't want to be the last to know." Quinn whined.

"Oh, you won't be the last." Santana said smugly. "Your boyfriend wasn't in glee yesterday either; you're both pretty far behind."

"But trust us when we say you both aren't going to like it." Brittany smiled and the two cheerleaders walked away with their pinkies linked together.

-glee!-

"The dude pulled a fast one." Puck muttered, pulling a clean shirt over his head.

"I know; I'm jealous that he had that much confidence." Artie agreed as he continued lifting the weights he had been given.

"Where do you think he is now?" Mike asked, closing his locker door.

"Where do you think?" Puck snickered. The other guys smirked and nodded their heads knowingly. Finn listened in on the conversation and frowned. Why did he feel like he was missing out on something? For one thing, Puck and the guys _**never **_gossiped. They always left that up to their girlfriends. So he knew what they were talking about had to be pretty damn important.

"Hey, guys. Whatcha talking about?" Finn asked curiously.

"You know…" Artie waggled his eyebrows. Finn frowned; either he was suffering serious memory loss or he was just lost…as usual.

"Dude, you didn't hear?" Puck asked.

"Hear what?" Finn questioned, growing a bit impatient. One thing Finn hated was being the last to know.

"Oh, that's right; he wasn't in glee yesterday." Mike whispered.

"Glee?" Finn asked. "What happened in glee?"

"The kiss of the century." Puck answered. And with that, the three guys left the locker room, snickering, as Finn sat on one of the benches and quietly thought over what he had been told.

-glee!-

Quinn marched up to Finn before lunch as Finn approached her with a confused expression his face.

"Do you know?" They said at the same time.

"The guys said it was a kiss…" Finn murmured.

"Santana and Brittany wouldn't tell me anything; they just told me I wouldn't like it." Quinn informed him. Quietly, the couple walked into the cafeteria. They were so distracted by the gossip that they weren't a part of that they didn't even bother to hold hands like they normally did. "What do you think it could be?" Quinn asked abruptly. Finn shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno. But whatever this kiss is that Santana mentioned you wouldn't like, it's got the whole school talking." Finn said. Quinn frowned and bit her lip as she thought.

"Whatever it is, it has to be bigger then glee." Quinn whispered as she scrunched up her nose as the lunch lady placed a disgusting-looking cheeseburger on her tray. "It's all over school; I doubt that anything that happens in _**glee**_ would be broadcast like this."

"Yeah." Finn agreed.

"So I guess you didn't hear, huh?" Kurt asked from behind them. Both Quinn and Finn spun around and frowned at him as he clicked his tongue. "Such a shame you both weren't there yesterday. Then you wouldn't be the last to know."

"Please tell us, Kurt." Quinn begged.

"Hm…I can tell you or leave you in suspense." Kurt smiled playfully. "While it's hilarious to watch you two struggle to find out what happened yesterday, I have more of a heart then you give me credit for."

"So you'll tell us?" Quinn asked hopefully.

"Sure. But I'm warning you both—"

"That we might not like it. Yeah, yeah, Santana told us." Finn rolled his eyes.

"Sam and Rachel are dating." Kurt announced. Both of their faces paled.

"D-dating?" Finn stammered. Shit! He left them alone for one class period and they were fucking dating! He thought he had gotten through to Sam in the guys' bathroom a few weeks before!

"Th-that's absurd!" Quinn exclaimed. "They _**have**_ to be doing this to get back at us! It's the only reason he'd go out with someone like her after being with someone like me." Quinn flipped her blond ponytail and let out a troubled huff.

"Why would you even care?" Kurt snorted. "If you're so in love with each other, it shouldn't matter what your exes are doing." Kurt smiled and passed the couple by. "Oh, and by the way, Quinn…Sam is really into Rachel. He told me himself." With that, Kurt walked off towards the glee table. Quinn and Finn watched him leave and scowled at the table. At the far side of the table sat Rachel and Sam. The two of them were in a very light conversation. He would chuckle as Rachel burst into giggles and then they'd go back to staring lovingly at each other.

"That just isn't right." Quinn growled. "They're only trying to get us to react."

"I don't know…" Finn mumbled. "Rachel seemed pretty into him yesterday. They were passing notes and stuff and they even got in trouble together."

"It's an act, Finn." Quinn hissed. "Let's go over there and confront them."

"Um, okay. But Kurt's kinda right; why should we care?"

"I dated him; I don't want him dating her." Quinn huffed. "Don't pretend like you're not bothered by them dating either; you know that you hate the fact that your best friend is dating your ex-girlfriend." Finn shrugged, but followed behind Quinn as she marched over to the lunch table. Uneasy looks entered the eyes of all their fellow glee clubbers as they walked up to Sam and Rachel. Quinn crossed her arms and cleared her throat impatiently. Rachel and Sam glanced up and their laughter died down.

"Hi, Sam. Hi, RuPaul." Quinn greeted rudely. Rachel shifted uncomfortably and lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Any reason why you called her that?" Sam asked tightly. Finn's jaw tightened as Sam glared up at him.

"Seriously, Sam? How can you be dating that thing? Are you blind?" Quinn wrinkled her nose as she glared condescendingly at Rachel.

"I'm not dating her." Sam scowled. "We just kissed."

"Yeah." Rachel chimed in weakly. A smile appeared on her lips.

"You _**kissed **_her?" Quinn's eyes widened. Finn wanted so bad to tell him to back off, but he had Quinn there. Even if Quinn was obsessing over the possibility of Sam and Rachel getting together, he knew she'd murder him if he told Sam to back off.

"Yeah." Sam shrugged. "And she's twice a better kisser then you." His eyes hardened with annoyance, Sam stood from his seat and grabbed Rachel by the hand. He whisked her away and didn't even stop to turn back. Neither did Rachel. Finn wanted so bad to ignore the surprised but joyful look in her eyes as soon as Sam's hand touched hers. She used to look that way when _**he**_ grabbed her hand.

"How mean!" Quinn whined. "I'm a better kisser then her. Right, Finn?"

"Um…yeah, babe." Finn agreed distantly as he watched them disappear.

"They can't start dating." Quinn huffed. "But I guess it's okay for now. Them kissing isn't the ideal set-up, but at least they aren't dating."

"For now." Kurt muttered from the far side of the table. His blue eyes were intent on Finn and Quinn. When Finn met his eyes, Kurt just raised an eyebrow before returning to his conversation with Mercedes. Finn frowned as he thought about what had just happened.

Was it really so wrong to not want your ex dating your girlfriend's ex?

Or anyone for that matter?

-glee!-

"Why do you think they care?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know. It's Quinn and Finn we're talking about. Quinn obsesses over everything. And Finn just doesn't want you dating anyone else." Sam shrugged.

"That's unfair! He gets to move on and date other people but I'm expected to sit around and wait for him?" Rachel snorted. Sam chuckled.

"Technically, you aren't dating anyone right now." Sam reminded her. Rachel's cheeks turned bright red and she glanced at the floor.

"I hope you don't mind, but I heard from Jesse." She said softly. "I told him I was dating someone else."

"Once again—"

"First off, I wasn't thinking when I told him we were dating. He told me he was dating this one girl named Kayla and I felt like I had to tell him I moved on, too. Secondly…" She paused and placed one hand on her hip. "Why are you so intent on making sure I remember that we aren't dating? You're the one who kissed me."

"You're the one who serenaded me." Sam countered with a playful look in his eyes. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"So it was just a retaliation? Should I even be waiting for you, Sam? 'Cause I can move on and—" His lips met hers before she had a chance to finish. When he pulled away, she glared at him and crossed her arms. "You never let me finish!" She pouted. Sam laughed and grabbed her hand.

"I like you, Rachel Berry." He grinned. "I want to be your boyfriend." Rachel smiled inwardly and giggled.

"You're very forward." She commented.

"Is that a yes or no?" He asked hopefully. Rachel grinned and pressed her lips to his and let her tongue snake into his mouth. She pulled away before he had a chance to react.

"How is that for an answer?" She licked her lips and Sam chuckled.

"I'll take it." He murmured. Their lips met again as the bell rang. People darted out of the cafeteria and gasped. Those who were lucky enough got to see the last few moments of their kiss. Some saw them pull away. Others just saw them walk away with their fingers intertwined.

Either way, their foolish actions caused the rumor to continue to circle through the hallways.

-glee!-

"They aren't dating." Quinn lifted her chin as she closed her locker.

"Who are you trying to convince? Yourself? Of course they're dating!" Santana exclaimed. "Treasure Trail and Froggy Lips are so together it isn't even funny."

"They told me they weren't." Quinn argued weakly.

"Then you didn't see them making out in the hallway." Brittany smirked. "Sorry, Q. They're definitely dating."

"Why did they lie to me and Finn?"

"No offense, Quinn, but you're kinda scary when you're pissed." Brittany shrugged apologetically.

"Kind of is an understatement." Santana scoffed. "Are you going to wait for you boyfriend or are you coming with us?"

"I'm waiting for Finn; I have to tell him about Sam and Rachel." Quinn decided.

"Fussing over your exes isn't healthy for your relationship." Santana said. "What you guys need is a nice hour in the boiler room."

"Oh my God, yes!" Brittany agreed.

"I don't skip class." Quinn frowned. Santana rolled her eyes.

"You should start; it's really making you no fun to be around." Santana advised before walking off with Brittany at her side. Quinn watched them leave before turning on her heel and marching up to Finn's locker.

"They lied to us." She hissed.

"Huh?" Finn asked, frowning in confusion.

"Rachel and Sam. They are dating." Quinn growled. "I thought we made it clear!"

"No offense, Quinn, but why are we obsessing over them?" Finn asked. "We're together; why does it matter if they are?"

"They're trying to get back at us!" Quinn whined.

"So let's show them we don't care." Finn sighed. "Look, I tried talking to Rachel last period. Artie told me he saw her and Sam making out in the hallway. She told me that I can't decide who she does or doesn't date. Now that I'm with you, I can't care anymore."

"I don't want you talking to Rachel." Quinn demanded.

"Why?" Finn asked, bewildered.

"I know you, Finn. The moment they break up you're going to go straight back to her. I'm only with you because you were trying to make her jealous." Quinn raised an eyebrow as Finn glared at her.

"I can't believe you'd think that! I love you, Quinn. That's why I got back together with you. I'm over Rachel. She can date whoever she wants." Finn exclaimed. Quinn sighed and glanced at the floor. The bell rung and the hallways cleared out instantly, leaving just the two of them.

"Maybe Santana was right." She muttered.

"About what?" Finn asked curiously. Quinn glanced up and smiled coyly.

"Wanna go to the boiler room?"

-glee!-

"I've never been here before." Rachel hissed. "It's so dark down here."

"Don't trip." Sam called over his shoulder.

"What if we get caught?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Don't worry; we won't get caught. The boiler room is totally safe for us." Sam winked at her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Finn never took you here?" Rachel blushed and shook her head.

"We went to the janitor's closet and under the bleachers a few times, but that was it." Rachel smiled. "I didn't know the boiler room was popular, too."

"Not until recently." Sam began. "Figgins and the other teachers knew the janitor's closet would be an easy place to catch us teens in love. So the guys conspired and discovered a way to get into the boiler room. So us teens in love can now safely get away and do whatever we want to do."

"Really?" Rachel smiled wryly. "And what do you intend on doing with me, Sam Evans?"

"Whatever you want." Sam said softly.

"Not even a day into dating and we're already at the make out hot spot." Rachel giggled.

"Are we moving too fast?" Sam asked worriedly.

"No." Rachel smiled.

"Good." Sam breathed.

"How much do you like me, Sam?" Rachel asked.

"I'm crazy about you, Rachel Berry." Sam said softly. He pressed his forehead to hers. "Holding you in my arms and kissing your lips was only a dream to me. Now it's a reality. It's the perfect reality."

"Really?"

"Of course." Sam grinned. "How much do you like me?"

"You're the sweetest guy I know. You like me for who I am and you don't mind hearing about several stories from my past. You and I have a lot in common, unlike me and Finn. We work together. You're genuine and manage to keep our relationship a surprise, which I love. And you're the hottest guy at school." Rachel finished.

"I forgot to mention that you're so pretty." Sam smiled. "You literally drive me insane."

"I know." Rachel grinned. "It's just how I work." Their lips met in a fiery kiss and grew more heated as time passed. Sam groaned as Rachel curled her fingers into his air. His lips trailed down her neck and she shuddered at the feel of his lips on her neck. She felt his hand crawl up her shirt. This was usually where Rachel would have stopped Finn or Jesse and told them she was done for now, but something about the way Sam was holding her and kissing her made her want more of him. She let his hands reach up her shirt and met his lips once more. She smiled as they continued kissing in the darkness of the boiler room. She leaned against the wall and giggled as Sam pulled away and ran his fingers over where his lips had been.

"We'll have to be careful with the hickey placement next time." He smiled crookedly. Rachel growled playfully and pressed her lips to his again. They were so engrossed in their make out session that they didn't hear the other couple walk in.

"Cool." Finn whispered, smiling crookedly. "Did you come here before?"

"Once. With Sam." Quinn whispered back. Below them, someone groaned.

"Looks like someone beat us here." Finn chuckled.

"Probably Santana and one of her many bed buddies. They're literally down here like every class period."

Sam wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist as they became more involved in each other's presence. She grinned as he picked her up off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist and continued to kiss his lips.

"Whoever is down here, they sure are into whatever they're doing." Finn whispered. Quinn giggled.

"I hope they aren't doing it; I walked in on my parents and it totally scarred me for life. I don't need to revisit that." Quinn said. Finn chuckled and held onto Quinn's hand tightly. They continued giggling as they reached the bottom of the stairs. That was until they saw who actually was there.

"Rachel? Sam?"

**So how do you think Quinn and Finn's reactions are going to be? What about Rachel and Sam's? I like the fact that they're fighting; it becomes more noticeable in the next chapter, which will probably be one of my favorites to write. So I still need help coming up with songs for them to sing at regionals in the next chapter. This story is very AU so things will be a bit different. I'm glad that you guys are enjoying it so much. I'm waiting to finish all my other stories before I start a new one, but I have a really funny idea for a story. To get an idea, look up the synopsis for the movie 'Life As We Know It'. It's a great movie and reminded me mostly of Puck and Rachel, so there's a chance this new story might be a Puckleberry one, but I love Finchel so much I'm going to find a way XD. Anyways, that's all. Make sure to keep an eye out for an update on 'The Other Way Around' as it will be out in the next three days. Read my other stories, like my Facebook page, and REVIEW! Thank you!**


	10. RIP Cory Monteith

My fellow Gleeks.

Today truly is a saddening and heartbreaking day. There are no words I can think of to console the sadness that wells up in my heart as I listen to 'Don't Stop Believing' yet again. Cory Monteith was a wonderful man with a beautiful heart and soul. He changed a lot of our lives and taught us many things. For many of us, it was easy to identify with such a magnificent young man. He did such great things for everyone. And the way he loved Lea Michele, both as Finn Hudson on Glee and Cory Monteith in the real world, was remarkable. It goes to show that good guys do exist, for he truly was one of them.

I was bullied a lot throughout middle school and part of high school, as I have yet to finish (I graduate this year). It was depressing and a very hard time for me. I ended up curling up in this shell and remaining hidden from the world as I feared being hurt again. Then Glee came…I instantly fell in love with its characters, its lessons, and its stories. I identified the most with Rachel, but I fell in love with Finn:). I loved how he loved Rachel, and it made me feel loved in a way. That's how powerful Cory was as an actor…he made someone as insignificant as me feel special. He was my first celebrity crush and helped me set my standards for men. If they're not like Finn, then they're not worth it…lol. It seems unrealistic, yes, but at the same time…it's not.

Cory Monteith was my hero. I could not thank him more for what he's done for me. Though he will never truly know, he did make such a huge difference in my life, and for that, I am grateful. I hope he finds peace where he is now3 and my heart, of course, goes out to his family and Lea. God bless, and don't stop believing. Stay tuned this week for an update of some of my stories in honor and in memory and dedicated to Cory Monteith.

Rachel Berry on Glee once said that being a part of something special made you special. It was later repeated in season two by Finn Hudson when he and Rachel were fighting. He asked if she considered them to be a part of something special.

Cory, you are forever in the hearts of millions of fans. You have clarified the meaning of special for us, and you will always be a part of something special.

~Finntastic17

RIP Cory Monteith 7/14/13. You will be missed.


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